Health trust seeks trustees

Queenstown's health watchdog is searching for new trustees to preserve the mothballed Wakatipu Health Trust for fundraising efforts.

The Wakatipu Heath Reference Panel said in its annual report for 2012, released this week, it had three areas where it wanted to ensure progress in the next 12 months. Finding trustees to continue operating the trust was one of those areas.

The trust, a proactive and vocal champion of healthcare provision in the Wakatipu, announced its intention to disband in October 2011 after eight years, in favour of the incoming panel. However, members of the panel recognised it was not established to fundraise and the structure of the trust was suitable for future fundraising needs.

''There will ... need to be individuals found from our community that are willing to take up the challenge of fundraising and put themselves forward as potential trustees for this trust,'' the annual report said.

Interested people could contact any of the panel members: Ms van Uden, community representatives Martin Hawes and Tony Hill, primary care clinicians' representative Dr Elinor Slater, secondary care clinicians' representative Dr James Reid and Southern District Health Board finance and funding executive director Robert Mackway-Jones.

Another area for future progress was the development of a longer-term health services plan for Central Otago. An initial draft will be available in June or July this year and the panel understood the Southern DHB would open it to the public for comment.

''One of its purposes was to clearly outline where services will be located to meet the needs of the communities in the region,'' the report said.

''This will ensure there is not a duplication of services and each health dollar is spent wisely, delivering services appropriate to our communities' needs.''

The third area identified for progress was ''integrated information systems'', a Southern DHB action it had already recognised and started work to achieve.

''We wish to add our voice to the need to enhance what is currently provided as we have no doubt this will provide benefits for our community both in terms of easier access to health services through the free flow of information between all parties,'' the report said.