The Southern District Health Board has been granted an extension by the Ministry of Health for its statement of performance expectations (SPE document).
Each DHB is obliged to file a document setting out its service and financial expectation for the next financial year, before the end of June.
However the SDHB, in common with most other health boards, shelved its annual planning process some months ago to focus on the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The Minister of Health has agreed to extend the timeline for finalising and publishing our 2020-21 SPE to August 15," an SDHB spokeswoman said yesterday.
"The reason the extension has been granted is to reflect the revised timelines agreed for finalising 2020-21 DHB annual plans due to Covid-19 impacts, and to ensure quality SPE documents are produced that align with DHB annual plans and appropriately reflect Covid-19 recovery."
Two months ago, SDHB chief executive Chris Fleming told his board the ministry had been advised the organisation’s annual plan was unlikely to be lodged by deadline.
Soon afterwards, the ministry revised its timetable for district health boards to deliver their annual plans — documents which require approval by the Minister of Health.
Mr Fleming told a board meeting earlier this month that the drop to zero Covid-19 cases in the South had meant planning work resumed, and in the absence of any guidance from the ministry, staff were rushing to complete their tasks by mid-June.
Priority had been given to finalising recovery plans for acute/specialist services and planned care, then public health, population health and primary care, Mr Fleming said.
"It is imperative that the individual plans are co-ordinated to deliver a cohesive healthcare system response.
"These recovery plans will then be reviewed against previously developed service plans, and used to inform specific investment decisions," Mr Fleming said.
Drafting plans had been complicated by District Health Boards losing budgeted revenue during the period hospitals were locked down.
The SDHB had adjusted its budgets accordingly while it waited to hear whether any further funding would be forthcoming from the Government.
