Area health board to be established

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 3

Area health board to be established

Canterbury .will have an Area Health ; Board from April 1 next .year. The Canterbury Hospital Board; will ask the Minister of ; Health, Mr Caygill, for- transfer to Area Health; Board status. The chairman of the board, Mr)! Tom Grigg, said) that the move was “a step in the right direction.” ';l “A body that co-ordi-nates the health services within the district I that it serves is very hard to argue against:” An Area Health Board would merge the Canterbury Hospital Board and the district office of the Health' Department. the Area Health Boarqs Act, hospital boardjs; are empowered to initiate discussions in their breas on establishing area boards; The Canterbury! Hospital Board; resolved in February last year to explore the concept and established a steering com--T' I ■

mittee in June last year to obtain community views. Mr Grigg said the decision to become an Area Health Board had been made after a lot of consultation. !! v About 15,000 brochures explaining , the concept of area boards had been distributed to) hospital board and Health Department employees).; and a wide range of health, welfare and social service, agencies. • [ ; Sixty-seven responses to the bro.chure were received, i 31 expressing support and 29 seeking further information on the proposal, (said Mr Grigg. Only one 'response had objected to the proposal. .While (some reservations had (been expressed, the response from fhe .meetings (with community groups had been very positive, Mr Grigg said. The Area Health Board should be established by April 1. ? 1989, said'. Mr

Grigg. Thk board yesterday authorised the immediate establishment of a task force to develop! a structure for the Area Health Board. ■ i Mr Grigg said) the task would be widely representative and would address two ijnain issues, the merger of the board with (the district (office of the Health) Department, and the cormjnunity links with the (Area) ; Health Boarl. ' I | J Other issues; it:) would consider included the need) to ensure community; and consumer input to an Ahea Health Board, the extensive supbort (for the estab|lishmeht|of community! committees arid service development 'groups, the' importance; of the hotisiic approach to health, and the; concern abbui the and) accessibility of health care in both urban ! and; rural i )';(