Abstract:
DHBs face the foregoing challenges in the current and future environment, as they take on democratic representation for the population, particularly in health needs assessment, consultation, prioritisation and health service purchasing. Need and objectives must be clearly defined at an early stage in the context of resource constraints and timeframes that will challenge the ability of Boards to conduct needs assessments. Consultation with the community and other, expert groups must inform needs assessments. But it is not clear how the prioritisation process will work, particularly regarding the ability of local agendas for purchasing of health services that complement the national agenda. Recent health crises have shown that DHBs, without Government support, cannot easily meet such challenges in the new decentralised environment. Consideration must therefore be given to how these identified challenges for DHBs as needs assessors can best be met.
