Elements we are building from
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What we need to achieve
2. Encourage and empower leaders across the Southern system to keep connecting with each other during the transition time and making decisions to deliver services and move the system towards the model outlined in the health reforms. Encourage and empower leaders across the Southern system to keep connecting with each other during the transition time and making decisions to deliver services and move the system towards the model outlined in the health reforms.
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This time of transition from DHBs to a new structure provides challenges for implementation.
People are naturally concerned about the validity of current strategies in a time of change, clear future guidance is still emerging and there is an overlay of the Covid-19 pandemic that is constantly reframing priorities.
Now is not the time for the Southern system to shy away from change. It should be aware of the future direction and within this context recommit to achieving excellence in the implementation of existing plans and priorities and to implementing actions in this strategic briefing.
The actions envisaged in this briefing will be achieved by the establishment of dedicated implementation leadership by the Southern DHB and through leadership from across organisations and professional groups.
Leaders from across the health system should feel encouraged and empowered to step up, work together and shape the future.
People are naturally concerned about the validity of current strategies in a time of change, clear future guidance is still emerging and there is an overlay of the Covid-19 pandemic that is constantly reframing priorities.
Now is not the time for the Southern system to shy away from change. It should be aware of the future direction and within this context recommit to achieving excellence in the implementation of existing plans and priorities and to implementing actions in this strategic briefing.
The actions envisaged in this briefing will be achieved by the establishment of dedicated implementation leadership by the Southern DHB and through leadership from across organisations and professional groups.
Leaders from across the health system should feel encouraged and empowered to step up, work together and shape the future.
1. Implementation project office
The Southern DHB needs to re-orient resources and change structures to create a project office or dedicated capability to support implementation. At present implementation of strategies has often been an additional role for busy operational managers, who understandably find it difficult to drive strategic implementation as well as day to day operations.
A project office works across major implementation projects, providing a resource, discipline and expertise to a range of areas. A project office would ensure that strategies are supported by pragmatic implementation plans, using proven change implementation methodologies that, at a minimum, include:
- Clear goals and measures
- Definitions of implementation tasks
- Governance and accountability structures
- Dedicated resources and action plans
- Processes for stakeholder engagement and communications
- Evaluation of change and learning
An implementation project office should be responsible for overseeing and acting as a catalyst for the priorities outlined in this strategic briefing.
Building capacity and capability in change management will also ready the DHB provider organisation to locally implement change that will be driven by Health NZ as it takes control of provider services. It is an investment in the future.
2. Ensure key issues in existing plans are not lost:
One issue for the southern system is that there are several strategic plans, where people are unsure of their status regarding active implementation. In a world where there are multiple competing priorities, a transition coming and a pandemic, the DHB should prioritise areas where implementation is being actively managed and areas where plans are more for guidance or may no longer be fully relevant.
One role of the project office should be a rapid review of existing plans and strategies and to undertake a stocktake of their implementation status and to provide guidance on future implementation support requirements. This stocktake will be a useful resource for incoming Health NZ and Māori Health Authority leadership.
Examples of key plans include:
- Review of DHB specialist services – Lenah Singh
- Southern integrated primary and maternity system of care
- Southern primary and community care strategy
- SDHB disability strategy
- Southern digital strategy
- SDHB workforce strategy and action plan
- Southern mental health plan
3. Empower local leadership
This strategic briefing is based on the Southern system being responsive and proactive to the opportunities associated with a period of reform. This organic response requires leaders from across the health system to feel empowered to step up, be proactive and brave.
The rebalancing of the healthcare system towards primary, community and population health services provides opportunity for leaders of community-based organisation to develop solutions that may be constrained by current funding silos but could be delivered under a new more flexible commissioning regime.
This strategic briefing is based on the Southern system being responsive and proactive to the opportunities associated with a period of reform. This organic response requires leaders from across the health system to feel empowered to step up, be proactive and brave.
The rebalancing of the healthcare system towards primary, community and population health services provides opportunity for leaders of community-based organisation to develop solutions that may be constrained by current funding silos but could be delivered under a new more flexible commissioning regime.
Creating ‘the South’s’ vision for a thriving Southern health system will not come only from top-down directives but from organic leadership from across the system coming together to design better local solutions.
The table below outlines some of the ‘catalyst actions’ described in this strategic briefing to create a better connected and more responsive system. For each of the actions, leaders are proposed to carry these forwards. These leaders come from organisations across the system.
Implementation of the actions in this plan should form part of a regular report to the DHB Board.
The role of the DHB can be that of change catalyst, which may involve:
The table below outlines some of the ‘catalyst actions’ described in this strategic briefing to create a better connected and more responsive system. For each of the actions, leaders are proposed to carry these forwards. These leaders come from organisations across the system.
Implementation of the actions in this plan should form part of a regular report to the DHB Board.
The role of the DHB can be that of change catalyst, which may involve: