The departing chairman of delay-ridden Southern Primary Health Organisation has criticised the Southern District Health Board for a tendency to "micro-manage".
Dr Conway Powell, whose tenure as inaugural chairman ended on Friday, said in the annual report the PHO-DHB relationship needed work.
A new chairman is to be appointed by the PHO board, which had its annual meeting in Dunedin on Friday.
"It is neither effective, clinically useful, or conducive to a good working relationship for a DHB to micro-manage the clinical programmes and other operational responsibilities of a PHO.
"The full potential of a strong working relationship with Southern DHB is yet to be achieved.
"It is critical to the optimum delivery of health care in the community by Southern PHO and its contracted general practices and other providers that this working relationship continues to mature positively," Dr Powell's report said.
The amalgamation of nine PHOs last year was the "largest ever PHO reorganisation" in New Zealand.
Some in the health sector were critical of a lack of progress, and it was up to the new board to "prove" to its critics the PHO could manage services for its 281,000 enrolled patients in Otago and Southland.
Dr Powell told the Otago Daily Times a two-month delay signing off the PHO's three high-priority clinical programmes was due to DHB managers focusing on "tiny details". Despite months of deliberation, managers changed little in the sexual health, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk programmes.
Other programmes are yet to be signed off, nearly four months since the start of 2011-12, but Dr Powell was less concerned about this. They were benefiting from DHB clinical input, as opposed to managers.
Dr Powell, who was replaced by Southern DHB deputy chairman Paul Menzies, of Winton, as the DHB's representative on the PHO, said he had been prepared to carry on.
He had not agreed with a DHB suggestion to assume one of two additional spots on the board, which were not appointed in the last term.
These were set aside for specialist expertise, Dr Powell said.
Southern DHB chairman Joe Butterfield declined to be drawn on Dr Powell's comments about the relationship between the organisations.
However, he said the DHB appointed its deputy chairman to engender closer ties between the two boards. It was Mr Butterfield's wish for Dr Powell to have remained, in one of the two additional spots not appointed last term.
Mr Menzies said when contacted he hoped to improve the DHB-PHO relationship, which was "basically good". He would not be seeking the chairmanship.
Apart from Mr Menzies replacing Dr Powell, the only other change to the 10-member board is nurse representative Wendy Findlay, of Invercargill, who replaces Kirsty Murrell-McMillan.
