Canterbury has new health-care concept

Press, 1 June 1989, Page 41

Canterbury has new health-care concept

From today, Canterbury health services are administered by the new Canterbury Area Health Board which incorporates the Canterbury Hospital Board, the district office of the Department of Health and the Ashburton Hospital Board. This is not just an amalgamation or a name change, however. The Canterbury Area Health Board is a new concept in health administration which aims to address the total health of the community. The Canterbruy Area Health Board will be financed by a Government allocation which will cover all public health services for the region. In addition to providing traditional hospital and health care facilities, the board will also be promoting good health concepts for Canterbury people. According to Terry Olsen, the board’s information officer, the idea began some years ago as a

logical progression in health administration.

“The Canterbury Hospital Board took its responsibilities seriously and started planning last year rather than waiting for the appointed day and merely changing the organisation’s name,” said Mr Olsen. “An area health board steering committee began organising the change last September. A special taskforce was established utilising senior staff from the Canterbury and Ashburton hospital boards, the Department of Health and external consultants, Deloitte Haskins and Sells.”

One of the first projects for the taskforce was to formulate a proposal, outlining the structure of the new area board for the Minister of Health.

The original proposal suggested that April I, 1989, would be the date for the new board to begin. However, when the new Minister of Health, Helen Clark, was ap-

pointed, she was keen for the South Canterbury Hospital Board to be included in the new health administration. Once the June 1 date was set for the change South Canterbury was still deliberating on its options, which are still to be decided.

One of the early moves was to change the general manager and top executive positions to “acting status.” These people are working in their present appointments under the new Canterbury Area Health Board.

The position of general manager has been advertised widely, and once this appointment has been made the new chief administrator will select the corporate managers. "While the new organisation is introducing a new. concept in health care administration, it does have the added difficulty of managing in a depressed economy,” Mr Olsen says.