Our Wellbeing Plan: A Thriving Hutt Valley, 2018 sets out how the DHB will work with other organisations to improve health outcomes for the people of Hutt Valley. The plan recognises that clinical services alone will not achieve sustainable better health for everyone. Many of the things that affect health are controlled or influenced by other organisations or factors which the best healthcare facilities in the world will not change. These include things like housing, healthy eating, alcohol and tobacco, employment and income.
As one of the Hutt Valley’s largest employers, however, the DHB can do a lot by practising what it preaches and doing everything it can to improve the wellbeing of its own employees. This means things like providing healthy food choices, supporting staff to become tobacco free, or becoming a Living Wage employer.
‘Focusing solely on clinical services would leave the DHB perpetually working as the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff,’ said Helene Carbonatto, General Manager Strategy, Planning and Outcome. ‘There needs to be a much greater focus on prevention and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. By working together with other agencies, local councils, housing providers and other large employers the DHB can do a lot more than it can by itself. This will need a recognition on many people’s part that we all need to be open to working differently to achieve our vision of a truly healthy Hutt Valley.’
You can read Our Wellbeing Plan: A Thriving Hutt Valley, 2018here.
