Accountability documents + arrangements

Crown Funding Agreement
As the board is accountable to the Minister of Health, a ’Crown Funding Agreement’ is agreed on an annual basis between the WDHB and the Minister. This document outlines the money to be provided to the WDHB, by the Crown, in return for the provision, or arranging for the provision, of specific services. The Crown Funding Agreement also contains two other key accountability documents, the Statement of Intent and Annual Plan.


Annual Plan with Statement of Intent
The WDHB, as a district health board (DHB), has a statutory responsibility to prepare:

  • an Annual Plan for approval by the Minister of Health (Section 38 of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000) - providing accountability to the Minister of Health
  • a Statement of Intent (Section 139 of the Crown Entities Act 2004) - providing accountability to Parliament, and the public
  • a Workforce Strategy (Cabinet Minute (11)24/5A) – outlining DHB plans to manage workforce requirements including the impact of cost pressures.


In 2010, Cabinet determined that these three documents would be brought together into a single document, a DHB Annual Plan with Statement of Intent. The plan incorporates national, regional and sub-regional service planning as well as the medium-term accountability requirements essential to a Statement of Intent (SOI).


Māori Health Plan
The Māori Health Plan is developed each year jointly with the local PHO Whanganui Regional Health Network. The plan describes our collaborative intent and actions that aim to meet the national Māori health indicators of performance (targets), reduce disparities between Māori and non-Māori population groups and improve the health and wellbeing of Māori in the DHB health district. The indicators are set by the Ministry of Health for all DHBs.

The State Services Commission (SSC) also requires DHBs to develop a Workforce Strategy that supports achievement of annual, regional and relevant national service plans.

 


Annual Report
Each year, we are required to publish an Annual Report, in accordance with the NZ Public Finance Act 1989. This report includes a Statement of Financial Performance and Statement of Service Performance. These statements are audited by the Office of the Auditor-General, and reflect the service and financial measures contained in the Statement of Intent as well as the actual results for the year.

 

Regional Services Plan
We are also required to develop a long-term Regional Services Plan. This plan ensures sustainability of health services across the Central Region which comprises MidCentral, Capital & Coast, Hawke's Bay, Hutt Valley, Wairarapa and Whanganui DHBs. The Regional Services Plan informs the development of our Annual Plan and Statement of Intent.



Minister of Health’s expectations and the National Health Targets

Each year, as part of the District Annual Planning process, the Minister of Health outlines his expectations of DHBs for the forthcoming year. He also establishes National Health Targets of which there are six. These expectations and targets are incorporated into our Annual Plan, with reporting against the National Health Targets occurring on a quarterly basis.

As a DHB, our planning is to be consistent with national health and disability strategies, including but not limited to: