Doubts about the capacity of district health boards to drive quality improvement in health services have been expressed by health systems specialist Associate Prof Robin Gauld.
At a lecture in Dunedin earlier this week about engaging senior management and the board in clinical quality improvement, he said it was an issue that deeply worried him.
He was "really not sure" board members had the capacity to drive high-performing healthcare in the way they should, he said.
Prof Gauld was not sure whether boards got training in quality improvement. A student working on this in the University of Otago's Centre for Health Systems had found it difficult to get information in this area.
Prof Gauld referred to research showing boards of hospitals overseas taking quality improvement seriously and spending time talking to and listening to medical staff and patients made improvements that resulted in better outcomes for patients.
