What are the overall quarter one 2013/14 health target results?
Nationally, four health targets have been met this quarter:
 Increased immunisation (91% against a target of 90%)
 Improved access to elective surgery target (105% against a target of 100%)
 Shorter waits for cancer treatment (99.9% against a target of 100%)
 Better help for smokers to quit hospital target (96% against a target of 95%)
The 2013/14 year sees three changes to the health targets, including the introduction
of agreed level 2 hospital data in the Shorter stays in emergency departments (ED)
target, and an increase to 90 percent in the national goals for the Increased
immunisation and the More heart and diabetes checks targets.
How did each health target perform?
Shorter stays in emergency departments
National performance in the Shorter stays in ED target decreased by 0.9 percent to
92.5 percent this quarter primarily due to pressure on services over the winter
months. This result compares to 91.5 percent on the same period last year, and is
the best quarter one performance since the target began. Ten DHBs achieved the
target.
Improved access to elective surgery
The national Improved access to elective surgery target has been achieved, with
40,593 elective surgical discharges provided, against a target of 38,629 discharges.
This is 1964 (5 percent) more than planned. Fifteen DHBs achieved their quarter one
target. Eight of these are 5 percent or more ahead of their target.
Shorter waits for cancer treatment
All DHBs except Canterbury and Waikato achieved the Shorter waits for cancer
treatment health target in quarter one 2013/14. The national result for quarter one is
99.9 percent.
During the quarter, 3356 patients who were ready-for-treatment received their
radiotherapy or chemotherapy within four weeks. Three patients waited between
one and six days longer than four weeks.
Increased immunisation
The July 2014 Increased immunisation health target has been achieved. The eightmonth national immunisation coverage for quarter one is 91 percent, an increase of
0.9 percent on quarter four. During quarter one, 13 DHBs have achieved the target
with at least 90 percent of eight-month-olds fully immunised.
Better help for smokers to quit
The Better help to smokers to quit hospital health target was achieved for the fourth
consecutive quarter with a result of 96.1 percent. Seventeen DHBs met the 95
percent target.
Results for the primary care target shows national performance has increased to
60.5 percent, compared with 56.9 percent last quarter. Although this result is still
well below the target, it represents a significant increase on the quarter four results
and an improvement of 21.0 percent since the primary care results were first
published in quarter one 2012/13.
More heart and diabetes checks
The national quarter one result for the More heart and diabetes checks target is 69
percent, an increase of 2.1 percent on last quarter’s result and a 17 percent
improvement over the past year.
From July 2013, the target increased to 90 percent. No DHB has achieved the target
but three DHBs are within 10 percent.
Introduction of agreed level 2 hospital data in the Shorter stays in
ED target
When the Shorter stays in ED health target commenced in July 2009 it was applied
to hospitals with EDs designated as level 3, 4, 5 and 6 EDs based on the types of
services they offered. From this quarter, four level 2 hospitals have been added to
the target.
What is a level two emergency department?
EDs are categorised as level 2 to level 6. Level 6 departments are those at our
biggest hospitals with all associated services.
A level 1 category refers to general practitioner (GP) emergency or acute services
and are not considered to be EDs. These services are excluded from the health
target. Level 2 EDs have some of the characteristics of both a GP or community
based service and a hospital ED. Some function like higher level hospital EDs, and
some are more in keeping with small community hospital facilities staffed by local
GPs and primary care nurses.
Why have some level 2 emergency departments being included?
The Ministry of Health, in consultation with DHBs, has determined that the level 2 ED
facilities that function like higher level hospital EDs should be included in the target
so they are subject to the same quality improvement aspirations. Not all level 2 EDs
are included as smaller hospitals which serve a community well, but do not function
like a higher level hospital ED, might be disadvantaged if required to aspire to a
target which does not match their needs.
The additional level two EDs that are included in the target from quarter one 2013/14
are Taupo Hospital (Lakes DHB), Kaitaia Hospital (Northland DHB), and Taumarunui
and Tokoroa Hospitals (Waikato DHB).
Why include these hospitals?
The purpose of the ED target is to encourage more timely access to all phases of
care when a person presents to an ED. This includes shorter waiting times to be
seen by a nurse or doctor, less waiting for x-rays and scans, quicker review by
specialist teams and faster admission to a hospital ward if that is required.