KEY POINTS:
A nationwide survey of 10 critical areas of the country's public health system has shown big gains in most areas since last year.
Health Minister David Cunliffe yesterday released the results of the first annual National Health Targets report. The report compares the country's 21 health boards' performance over 10 key health categories.
Nine of the targets are aimed at the health boards' performances, while the tenth addresses Ministry of Health spending.
While the targets allow individual health boards to be compared, each health board was coming from a different starting point, faced different challenges, and had their own individual targets set accordingly. Those boards performing well in a given area were to be held up as examples for the other boards to follow. The report showed significant improvements in many of the targeted areas.
Key findings were:
* An 8.7 per cent increase in the number of elective surgery - almost 12,000 more electives completed in the past year.
* A 16 per cent increase in up-to-date relapse prevention plans for mental health patients.
* 1800 more adolescents accessed dental services in the 2007 calendar year than in 2006.
* A 5 per cent increase in free annual diabetes checks.
* 1120 fewer avoidable hospital admissions, showing improved access and quality of primary health care.
* 97 per cent of cancer patients started radiation treatment within eight weeks - 65 per cent within four weeks.
* 65 per cent of babies exclusive and fully breastfed at six weeks, 54 per cent at three months, and 26 per cent at six months.
The ministry's spending target is for no more than 1.65 per cent of the country's health budget to be spent at the ministry by the 2009/10 year. In the past year the ministry spent 1.95 per cent, or $210 million.
Mr Cunliffe said the results showed the public health system's performance over the past year had improved in the 10 measured areas. The health boards' efforts to meet their targets had "made a significant impact on people's health".
The bar had now been set high, he said, but the decision had been made to aim even higher for the next year.
