More than four per cent of patients are being seen at faster emergency departments in Bay of Plenty hospitals, according to recent Bay of Plenty District Health Board health target results.

Shorter stays in emergency departments, better help for smokers to quit, access to elective surgery, faster cancer treatments and raising healthy kids – these are the health targets that have been assessed by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.

Results have revealed that 15,259 patients were seen in this quarter within the Shorter Stays in Emergency Department target at the BOPDHB's Tauranga and Whakatane Hospitals.

This compares to 14,636 for the same quarter in the previous year.

CEO Helen Mason says the result has been a matter of integrity and innovation by staff.

'We have been continuously seeking ways of improving the way our healthcare system works from our patients' perspective.

'This result is the culmination of a lot of hard work over the last three years, in particular quicker patient assessments and ensuring patients are in the right place at the right time.”

These results also show higher numbers in patients receiving advice to quit smoking.

'In the Bay of Plenty more than 26,000 smoking patients in contact with their GP or practice nurse, received advice to quit in the past year, and almost a quarter were then given active support to engage with a stop smoking service.

'In addition about 7,000 hospital patients are given brief advice to quit each year, and offered follow up to smoking cessation, with a further 500 pregnant women also being encouraged to quit for their baby's health by their midwives.”

The BOPDHB also continues to improve their work in raising healthy kids and expects to meet all associated health targets in this section by the end of the year.

'More children are being offered the opportunity of a referral for clinical assessment, and then going onto a physical activity, nutrition and family lifestyle programme to better manage the child's weight,” says Helen.

'The target is that by December 31, 95 per cent of children assessed at their four year old Before School Check as having significant weight problems, are referred to their general practice.”

'The GP or practice nurse will then carry out a clinical assessment and the parents are given advice on weight management for the child and family.”

Low immunisation rates have also been revealed in this quarter.

'We remain concerned about the low immunisation rates of young children in the Bay of Plenty,” says Helen.

In the Bay of Plenty there were 731 eligible infants for their eight month immunization, of which 608 were fully immunised.

'Off the 123 infants who were not immunised, 74 parents declined immunisation and 49 were missed by their primary health organisation.”

'While the BOPDHB has not met the Childhood Immunisation target for this quarter, a new support service to target children who are being missed for their 8 month immunisation has been set-up to reach them.”

The new support service, The Collective, will focus on reaching the missed children in the first instance, and working with parents to support them to understand the lifelong benefits of having their child immunised.

The Collective is a team of staff working for the Eastern Bay of Plenty Primary Health Alliance, Nga Mataapuna Oranga and the BOPDHB.

It includes immunisation coordinators, vaccinators and a coordinator to track all BOP infants to better reach those infants missed for immunisation.

Other health targets achieved include improved access to elective surgery and faster cancer treatment.