South Island Neurosurgical Board completes first meeting

The South Island Neurosurgical Service's Board met for the first time in Wellington today and focused on processes for appointing a clinical director and clinicians as quickly as possible, the National Health Board's deputy director, Michael Hundleby, said.

The Board has been constituted by the National Health Board to implement the South Island Neurosurgery Expert Panel's recommendations released by the then Acting Director-General of Health, Andrew Bridgman, in October last year.  The expert panel recommended the establishment of one South Island-wide neurosurgical service with Dunedin and Christchurch centres, under the governance of an independent Board. 

Mr Hundleby said the Board members were clearly committed to achieving a sustainable South Island-wide service as quickly as possible and were already working together well.

"As you would expect for the first meeting, the main areas of discussion were around the processes the Board would follow for the future," he said.  "The Board members emphasised the need to start the appointments of a clinical director for the whole service and permanent neurosurgeons in Dunedin as quickly as possible."

Mr Hundleby said that the appointment processes would still take time, but that all the members agreed on the path forward and the advertising for the clinical director and at least one of the academic neurosurgical positions would start within the next month.  "The success of this service is a priority for the National Health Board and it was good to see the Board members have clearly put the past behind them," he said.

The Board is chaired by Professor Andrew Kaye and also includes the chair of Canterbury DHB, Bruce Matheson, the chair of Southern DHB, Joe Butterfield, the chair of South Canterbury DHB, Murray Cleverley, Professor Don Roberton for the University of Otago and consumer advisor David Russell. A long term independent neurosurgeon is yet to be appointed, but Wellington neurosurgeon, Martin Hunn, attended in the interim. 

Chief executive of Southern DHB, Brian Rousseau and the chief executive of Canterbury DHB, David Meates, also attended.

Ends

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