$2m to Improve Elective Services at Counties Manukau DHB
HealthMinister of Health Hon Tony Ryall announced today a $2 million funding boost to further improve elective services at Counties Manukau DHB.
The money will be used to put in place a range of initiatives over three years to improve access to and quality of electives at the DHB.
“Counties Manukau DHB is a strong performer in delivering elective services, and this will assist them develop innovations so more patients receive services sooner,” Mr Ryall says.
The funding will help:
- streamline access to secondary services for GPs
- improve patient pathways in general and plastic surgery
- set up a regional Urology Service and
- further develop the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols.
The enhanced recovery protocols are proving to have significant benefits for patient recovery and rehabilitation, getting patients home to their families 25 per cent sooner.
These protocols will be developed for a wider range of conditions.
“Expanding the use of these protocols will help free up more hospital beds for other patients to use,” Mr Ryall says.
The funding has come from the Ministry of Health’s Elective Services Productivity and Workforce Programme.
Other similar large-scale improvement initiatives have been supported by this programme in other DHBs, including Auckland, Waitemata, Capital and Coast, Southern and Bay of Plenty.