Monday 15 December 2014: Don’t sweat the small stuff! Another very busy, very successful, and at times very tiring year is coming to a close. We're delivering new services in new ways, cutting waste out of the system, and continuing to see the benefits of working collaboratively with our colleagues right across the Canterbury Health System. As if that's not impressive enough, we're doing this in cracked and damaged buildings with ongoing massive disruptions and a population still struggling to come to grips with a natural disaster that has hit us for six! And we are doing this while undertaking the largest building project in the history of the New Zealand health system. We have every reason to feel proud. The fact we've been able to achieve so much is down to the amazing efforts of thousands of people working tirelessly across our health system. People working in the health system are undoubtedly our most precious resource. Like everything precious, it pays to look after it! This year's CDHB staff and family wellbeing survey showed that there are some things the CDHB does very well when it comes to supporting our staff ('Something for You' for instance was regularly praised). There are other things that we need to being doing better, and I am looking forward to grappling and making progress with these in the New Year. While it's important that we support our staff and others who work in health, it's also important that people support themselves by prioritising their own wellbeing and taking a breather every now and then. The Christmas break can be a particularly stressful time. I strongly encourage you to find time to relax and do whatever you can to unwind. Whether it's reading a book, going for a walk, or catching up with mates, the little things we do can make a huge difference. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to sweat the small stuff!
CDHB to provide services to the Chatham Islands’ community From 1 July 2015, responsibility for providing health services to residents of the Chatham Islands transfers from Hawkes Bay DHB to Canterbury DHB. We are currently working with the Ministry of Health and Hawkes Bay DHB to make the transition as smooth as possible for service providers and service users alike. Our Planning and Funding team is collecting information from Hawkes Bay on how primary and secondary care service delivery, including allied health, emergency air retrieval and electives is currently managed. There is also a certain amount of intelligence gathering to be done such as establishing lists of key contacts in the community so we can engage with them ahead of the handover. This is a significant change for this small community of around 600 people. A team from our Executive and Board will meet with community representatives in the New Year to begin to forge new relationships, and tune into the kind of support Chatham Islanders need to stay well and safely supported in their own community. There are other preparations that need to be made to ensure the transfer of records goes smoothly and that the right electronic information systems, such as HealthOne for example, are in place to support effective and collaborative patient care. We anticipate a number of clinical challenges mostly associated with the geographic isolation of the Chathams, so that we can provide the right mix of locally-based care and appropriate access to specialists based on the mainland.