centralAlliance (Central Alliance)

The centralAlliance is a collaborative agreement between Whanganui and MidCentral District Health Boards to maximise their resources and knowledge.The Foundation Agreement was formalised in August 2009.

This agreement drives the two DHB’s efforts to develop clinically-led, collaborative health services and more effective and efficient shared support services with common objective being to achieve improved health outcomes for their DHB populations. The leadership of both DHB’s meet regularly to drive and monitor progress. Commitment to the alliance is underpinned by the Foundation Agreement which sets out the centralAlliance objectives, while protecting each DHBs autonomy and decision-making.

What we have done together to date:

• Cancer treatment services
• Children’s Health Service network
• Regional Director of Women’s Health
• Regional Director of Allied Heath Services
• Regional GM Human Resources and Organisational Development
• Public Health Services
• Urology services
• Financial system
• Common prioritisation process for funding health & disability services
• Joint approach to Health Needs Assessment
• Hotel, facilities management, engineering, grounds maintenance, patient and retail food, dietetic, transport and fleet management, cleaning, orderly and security services
• Laundry services
• Regional medical credentialing

What we intend to do together over the next year:
There are 18 joint initiatives to be progressed during 2011/12.  These are included in each DHB’s Annual Plan 2011/12 and include:

• Establishment of shared back-office functions, including IS, financial transactions, asset management, contract procurement, and risk management
• Continued collaboration at governance and management level
• Shared approach to planning health and disability services, including establishment of a common Health Needs Assessment and additional palliative care positions.
• Combined clinical delivery arrangements, supported by strong clinical governance:
  • one service, two sites for women’s health
  • joint approach to renal services
  • establishing shared approach for other regional services, such as ENT, ophthalmology, cardiology and sexual health
  • common nursing professional development programme
    common allied health professional development programme
  • establishing professional and clinical governance forums