DHB Consultation document & Trust Submission

In March this year, the DHB released a public consultation document " Delivering Wakatipu Health Services in the Future"  which is a proposal for a radical shakeup of the way health services are to be delivered at Lakes District Hospital. We believe the proposed changes will have a considerable impact on the community and it is important that members of the community read through this proposal to understand the concept.  To view the DHB Consultation document Click here

WAKATIPU HEALTH TRUST SUBMISSION

The issues raised in the DHB document are of vital importance to our community and as such, the Trust urges everyone to express their views and make an effort to complete a submission.  You are welcome to view the submission made by the Trust which may assist you in the completion of your own submission.  Closing date for submissions is Friday April 23rd April.  Click here    to view this document.

_{WHERE TO FROM  HERE?}

The Trust has been anxious to begin work on resolving the issues raised by the community at the Community Health Forums and had been awaiting completion of the DHB's Feedback report, as the DHB had been unwilling to commence dialogue until after the completion of that process.

Hence,  an important meeting,  (the first  combined meeting between the Trust and the DHB since the Health Forum), was held  in Queenstown on June 23rd, and was attended by the Mayor of QLDC, the Chairman & Executive Officer of the Trust and the Chair,  CEO and Deputy CEO of the Health Board. During this meeting,  the results of the DHB consultation feedback were discussed in some depth. At that meeting, it was acknowledged by all present that the community had made its views clear on a number of issues. Most notably,  a clear preference for Local Body Governance of LDH had emerged and that the majority of respondents had serious concerns regarding the possiblity of GP's being the gatekeeper of Emergency Department at LDH, as had been proposed in the DHB Consultation document. It was also acknowledged that whilst there had been some support for the concept of an Integrated Family Health Centre at LDH, this was heavily qualified.

The DHB also advised the meeting that they had just met with the staff and unions at LDH to discuss the results of the ConsultationFeedback, and that the senior Doctor's Union (ASMS) had expressed the strong view that it did not approve of the proposed changes to LDH and that there had been insufficient consultation with clinical and nursing staff. It had been therefore agreed, that a Clinical Working Party comprising Clinicians from LDH, Kew, Dunedin and Dunstan Hospitals plus Union representatives would over a six month period, endeavour to arrive at an alternative model of care for consideration by the Board.

Furthermore, at the meeting, it was agreed that the Mayor would write a letter to the DHB to be heard at its August Board meeting, which would formally seek endorsement for the creation of a Reference Group which would  begin the work necessarry to bring resolution to the issues raised by the community. More detail on this development will follow as soon as is possible.