Questions to consider

Asset management

• Does your DHB know how well its assets meet current and expected service delivery needs?
• Does your DHB have reliable information about critical assets and their condition that supports long-term service delivery?
• Does your DHB use information from asset management planning to inform financial forecasts and strategic planning?

Procurement and contract management

• Does your DHB have an up-to-date procurement strategy? Does the strategy cover both provider and funder arms, and include the DHB’s medium-term procurement and contracting needs?
• Does your DHB have a comprehensive and up-to-date procurement policy(s), guidance, procedures, and templates that cover all activities and forms of procurement activity (including contracts with health care providers and non-governmental organisations)?
• How does your DHB get assurance that contracted health care services are providing value for money? Is your policy on market testing these services appropriate?
• Is your DHB’s management of contracts robust enough to ensure ongoing quality service delivery?
• Does your DHB have the right number of staff with appropriate skills, knowledge, and expertise in the right structure to deliver effective procurement and contract management?
• Are you confident that procurement is well co-ordinated between planning, funding, and other parts of the DHB?
• Does the board get the right level of regular reporting on procurement, contract spending, and other issues so that it can carry out its oversight and governance role effectively?

Fraud awareness and prevention

• Is your DHB’s fraud policy up to date?
• Has your DHB carried out a risk assessment of where it is most vulnerable to fraud, and have you reviewed those areas identified as high risk?
• Have controls been implemented to mitigate fraud risks?
• Does your DHB have a programme of fraud awareness that might include regular reminders to staff about the fraud policy and their responsibilities?

Information systems and technology

• What is your level of confidence that your DHB’s information systems will be able to support the delivery of services in a reasonable time frame after a disaster?
• How secure are your DHB’s systems, and how do you ensure that you maintain information security at an appropriate level?
• What are you doing to ensure that your DHB’s information service providers have the protections and controls in place to protect your information?