Western Bay Edition - March 2016
Sally Webb, Chair,
Bay of Plenty District Health Board
Farewell Phil
In this issue of Health Matters we acknowledge
Phil Cammish who retires at the end of January
2016 after 10 years serving as Bay of Plenty
District Health Board’s CEO.
At the end of this month Bay of Plenty District
Health Board (BOPDHB) farewells our Chief Executive, Phil Cammish after 10 years’ service to the
people of the Bay.
So much has happened over those 10 years and
when I reflect, what strikes me most has been the
strength of Phil’s leadership, which he has demonstrated in so many different ways.
When Phil arrived Project LEO (Leading Edge
Organisation) was already underway. This project
encompassed a full upgrade of the Tauranga Hospital campus. The successful completion of Project
LEO at Tauranga Hospital has resulted in great improvement
in all our ward facilities. It means Tauranga and the Bay of
Plenty is well positioned for hospital facilities into the future.
Once Project LEO was completed, Phil shifted his focus to
Project Waka in Whakatāne.
We now have a beautiful new
hospital serving the local
community. In addition, the
Rural Health Interdisciplinary Immersion Programme
(RHIIP) has been a real benefit to the Eastern Bay. This
programme was developed
collaboratively with Auckland
and Otago universities as a
response to the growing issue
Phil Cammish and Former Minister of Health, of healthcare shortages in
New Zealand’s rural comTony Ryall, 2009.
munities. The insight and support
from Phil to establish RHIIP in
Whakatāne has had a significant
impact on developing the health
workforce in our region.
Then there are the two latest
service developments on the Tauranga site; the Kathleen
Kilgour Centre and the new PathLab building. It has been
Phil’s dedication that has seen both these initiatives through
to completion. There is much more I could write about and
it’s hard to fit 10 years of dedication and drive into one short
article. However, as we look around our health services and
facilities we can see the legacy Phil’s leadership is leaving
for us to take forward.
On behalf of the Board and staff of the BOPDHB, I say a
heartfelt thank you to Phil for the 10 years of excellence and
the achievements made during that time.
From Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation
From the Mayor of Tauranga
It is often said that you can judge
a person’s time in a job or holding
an official position by posing the
question of whether they leave the
organisation in better shape than
when they joined it.
Over the last 10 years the Bay of
Plenty has been extremely fortunate
to have Phil Cammish as CEO of
our District Health Board. As a
community we have all benefited
from Phil’s vision and commitment
to delivering quality health services.
munity meet together to agree local ‘rules’
of how a variety of clinical situations will be
managed.
In addition, after wide consultation there
has been the development of a formal
Integrated Health Strategy; the formation
of the Strategic Partnership Group (SPG)
comprising the Chairs and CEOs of the
Bay of Plenty Public Health Organisations
and the DHB who meet regularly; and the
In Phil Cammish’s
BOP Alliance Leadercase we can give
ship Team (BOPALT)
him a resounding
comprising CEOs,
“Yes” in answer
clinicians and key
to that question.
planning personnel
Indeed, the good
from the PHOs and
ship BOPDHB sails
the DHB, who form
into the future with
the action group to
energy and hope.
ensure the intent of
Successive governthe SPG happens.
ments had already
We all wish Phil well
begun the process
for the future. We
of transforming the
hear that he may
old concept of the
be very busy in a
‘Hospital Board’
number of areas,
into the ‘District
so the word ‘retireHealth Board’
ment’ may well be
before Phil was
a gross overstateappointed CEO.
ment. We look
Under his watch we
forward to working
have been able to
Supporting the Influenza
with the incoming
develop a number
vaccination campaign 2010
Chief Executive
of initiatives to
John Gemming
Helen Mason and
ensure we are workbelieve that the
ing towards a true ‘one system/one budget’
coming year will be marked with great
integrated health environment in the Bay
progress and goodwill.
of Plenty.
Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health
Initiatives include the Bay Navigator proOrganisation Chair, John Gemming
cess, in which clinicians and allied health
workers from both the hospital and com-
About the Bay of Plenty District Health Board
Covering 9,666 square kilometres, our
DHB serves a population of 221,000 and
stretches from Waihi Beach in the North
West to Whangaparaoa on the East Cape
and inland to the Urewera, Kaimai and
Mamaku ranges. These boundaries take in
the major population centres of Tauranga,
Katikati, Te Puke, Whakatāne, Kawerau and
Opotiki. Eighteen Iwi are located within the
BOPDHB area.
The BOPDHB’s activities range from
delivering health and disability services
through its hospitals in Tauranga and
Whakatāne, community health and
disability services, and mental health
services, through to support functions
such as the clinical directorate, corporate
services, and information management
services. The DHB also plans health service
development, funding and purchasing a
wide range of health service for the region,
through 413 contracts. These contracts
include primary care, aged residential care,
dental services, pharmaceuticals, mental
health services, laboratory services and
homebased support services. The DHB has
a strong focus on improving Māori health.
The DHB will receive $706 million during
2015/2016 to fund these activities.
The BOPDHB has just under 3,000 fulltime and part-time staff; these include
nurses, support service 7Ffb