Overview - CDHB About Us - Canterbury District Health Board

ABOUT US

CDHB Overview

The Canterbury District Health Board is responsible for providing or purchasing Government funded health care services for the population of a specific geographical area. There are 21 DHBs in New Zealand and they have existed since 1 January 2001. The statutory objectives of the Canterbury District Health Board are to improve, promote and protect the health of communities; to promote the integration of health services, especially primary and secondary care services, and to promote effective care or support of those in need of personal health services or disability support.

The Canterbury District Health Board also has the objectives of promoting the inclusion and participation in society and independence of people with disabilities; reducing health disparities by improving health outcomes for Maori and other population groups, and to reduce toward elimination, health outcome disparities between various population groups. The Canterbury District Health Board is expected to show a sense of social responsibility, to foster community participation in health improvement, and to uphold the ethical and quality standards commonly expected of providers of services and public sector organisations.

Our Mission Statement

To improve, promote and protect the health of the people in the community and foster the well-being and independence of people with disabilities and reduce disparities

Our Vision - Ta Matou Matakite

To promote, enhance and facilitate the health and well-being of the people of the Canterbury District

Ki te whakapakari, whakamaanawa
me te whakahaere i te hauora
Mo te orakapai o ka takata o te rohe o Waitaha

Our Values - A matou uara

The aim is for the Canterbury DHB and the other 20 DHBs in New Zealand to have a focus on promoting ‘wellness’ and have more control over how government money is spent on health services in their own regions. For instance, some of Canterbury’s health needs are probably different from those of Auckland.

The Canterbury DHB will progressively decide how that money is best spent in Canterbury. The Board will decide on the mix, the level and the quality of health and disability services to be publicly funded in our region, and then enter into agreements with organisations or individuals who can best provide those services.

The Canterbury DHB will be responsible for funding local delivery of services by providers such as GPs, Maori and Pacific groups, other primary care and mental health providers.

We will move to a system where the funding given to Boards is not only based on the population size but also weighted according to factors like ethnicity, the age range and the degree of social deprivation in the area.

The new population based funding will also allow the Canterbury DHB to review potential healthgains from working with health professionals such as GPs, pharmacists,hospital health professionals, and mentalhealth and disability support providers in the Canterbury area.

All District Health Boards are charged with developing two key planning documents, in consultation with the public and the Ministry of Health.

A five-to-ten year document developed in consultation with the community and endorsed by the Minister of Health, the Strategic Plan describes local goals and objectives consistent with the Government’s health and disability strategies. The Strategic Plan is represented in two documents – Document 1 “Towards a Healthier Canterbury: Directions 2006” is the Strategic Plan booklet summarises the fuller Strategic Plan which is found within Document 2 called ” The Canterbury District Health Board Strategic Plan”.

This plan, is a living document that will be updated on a regular basis as new information and changes in environment require. Setting the direction and approach for the future, this plan looks at the broader scope of population health and wellbeing, rather than just the services people expect from the system. It also describes local goals and objectives that are consistent with the Government’s health and disability strategies.
The Annual Plan is a negotiated document between the DHB and the Minister of Health, supported by a Statement of Intent and a funding agreement, and produced on a yearly basis. It sets out the operational plan for the DHB, taking into account its special responsibilities as a regional and national referral centre.

The Statement of Intent is scrutinised each year by the Minister to check the DHB’s performance in health targets, and also compare its progress with that of other DHBs.

The Ministry reports on the performance of the Canterbury DHB each year, measuring against the Statement of Intent and health targets as well as comparing Canterbury’s performance with that of other DHBs. This report is available from the Ministry of Health.