Health policy challenge

Press, 3 November 1988, Page 6

Health policy challenge

Health managers have been issued a challenge in the Government’s new health policy, says the president of the Institute of Health Management, Mr Ron Parker.

The institute was ready to play a strong leadership role in ensuring that managers were able to meet the challenge, he said.

Mr Parker, who is also the acting general manager of the Canterbury Hospital Board, said that the Government’s health initiatives gave a • clear direction as to how health should be organised and delivered.

"The institute is ready to help board members shape policy then take over the responsibility of

implementing policies and working with other health professionals on a team approach.” A difficulty in the past had been that the role of elected board members and the management teams had not been clear, said Mr Parker.

“The other difficulty in the past has been clouded responsibility — it has not been clear as to which single person is accountable for what is supposed to happen, what actually happens and at what cost,” he said.

"It’s important that these clear role definitions be spelt out. Once that’s done there will undoubtedly be a potential for efficiency gains to be made.”