Improving Patient Flow Toolkit
The government wants the public health system to deliver better, sooner, more convenient healthcare for all New Zealanders.
The Improving Patient Flow Toolkit will assist DHBs to meet the Government priorities for electives, which are to reduce waiting times, increase delivery and continuously improve quality of care.
The government wants the public health system to deliver better, sooner, more convenient healthcare for all New Zealanders.
The Improving Patient Flow Toolkit will assist DHBs to meet the Government priorities for electives, which are to reduce waiting times, increase delivery and continuously improve quality of care.
Overview
The Toolkit includes ten evidence based strategies that when implemented will assist District Health Boards (DHBs) to reduce waiting times, and improve access and quality of elective care. In addition, the strategies have positive implications for DHBs in terms of reduced costs and length of patient journeys, length of stay, complications, follow ups and hospital appointments.
We believe that depending on the nature of the specific challenges services or DHBs are dealing with, value will be gained from considering adopting and adapting to their own setting one or more of the strategies.
Each strategy includes case studies written by clinicians and managers, links to relevant websites and articles that provide useful information on how the strategies can be implemented and the specific benefits they offer.
The Improving Patient Flow Toolkit can be downloaded here.
Strategies
The individual strategies in the Improving Patient Flow Toolkit are linked to below.
Strategy 1: Improving elective delivery through clinicians and management working together
Strategy 2: Improving access to specialist advice through redesigning processes
Strategy 3: Improving access to specialist advice through the use of alternative providers
Strategy 6: Improving elective care through the use of integrated care pathways
Strategy 7: Improving elective care through preadmission programmes
Strategy 8: Improving elective care through care coordination and case management
Strategy 9: Improving access to electives through direct access to treatment pathways
Strategy 10: Improving electives care through separating acute and elective surgery