Record Investment In Health Delivery
The Government is again delivering record investment in healthcare, providing New Zealanders with better health services and ensuring hospitals and healthcare facilities are fit for the future, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
'Budget 2025 provides a $7 billion increase in Vote Health operating funding over the forecast period. This includes the $1.37 billion per annum increase to Health New Zealand's baseline – bringing total health spending in 2025/26 to $32.7 billion,' Mr Brown says.
'Budget 2025 confirms our commitment from last year's Budget of a record investment in health over three budgets. That funding is already delivering results – more elective surgeries, GP appointments, and other critical healthcare services New Zealanders rely on.
'Other new initiatives include $91 million to increase prescription lengths and $447 million to support increased access to primary care.
'Budget 2025 also invests over $1 billion in new capital to deliver modern, fit-for-purpose infrastructure that meets the health needs of New Zealand's growing and ageing population.
'We're also making real progress on our health targets. Emergency department wait times are coming down, cancer patients are being seen faster, and childhood immunisation rates are improving.
'This year's Budget builds on that momentum, with targeted investments to strengthen frontline services and improve access to GP and specialist care across the country.'
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
For patients, this funding will support Health New Zealand to deliver its plan for increased care for patients and will include:
21,000 additional planned care treatments (to an estimated 343,000 treatments)
31,000 additional cancer treatments to administer new funded medicines (to over 455,000 treatments)
22,000 additional people receiving inpatient care (to an estimated 984,000 people)
50,000 additional events in emergency departments (to a projected 1,411,000 events)
231,000 additional general practice encounters (to a projected 21,824,000 encounters)
119,000 additional bed nights in the residential aged care sector (to a projected 9,717,000 bed nights, excluding psychogeriatric bed nights).
Specific Budget 2025 initiatives include:
Increased access to urgent and after-hours care, helping to reduce pressure on emergency departments
Expanding the primary care workforce, including training more doctors and nurses locally
24/7 access to digital primary care for online medical consultations, making it easier for people to get advice and prescriptions from their own homes
Easier access to long-term prescriptions and broader prescribing rights across the health workforce
Streamlined transfers from hospital to aged care, helping free up inpatient hospital beds and improve continuity of care
Increased funding for the Health and Disability Commissioner to improve complaint resolution and care standards
Support for a new multi-agency response to mental health distress calls
Continued investment in hospital and facility upgrades across the country, ensuring clinical environments are safe, modern, and fit for purpose.
'We are delivering on our promise to put patients first. This additional investment of 7.4 per cent in total funding represents an increase of 6.2 per cent per capita, which will make a real difference to people's lives – ensuring timely, high-quality care for patients while supporting our frontline workforce who deliver that care every day.
'Budget 2025 reflects our commitment that all New Zealanders – no matter where they live – deserve a health system they can rely on that is focused on delivering for them, the patient,' Mr Brown says.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Staff 'responded immediately' to patient escape
By Sam Sherwood of RNZ Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has reiterated to Health New Zealand that patient and public safety are of "paramount importance", after a man absconded from a mental health facility. Canterbury police released a statement about 9pm on Thursday appealing for information about the 35-year-old who had absconded from the care of another agency. Police had been notified about 6pm that the man was missing. They said he was dangerous and shouldn't be approached. The man was found about 10pm. RNZ understands the man absconded from Hillmorton Hospital. He was found about 6km away from the mental health facility. Health New Zealand has been approached for comment. A spokesperson for Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey told RNZ his office was advised on Thursday night about a patient leaving Hillmorton. "The Minister was advised by Health New Zealand that safety of the individual and community was at the forefront in how they responded with police." HNZ staff "responded immediately" and worked with Police to safely locate the person and return them to Hillmorton last night. "Health New Zealand is taking the incident seriously and there will be a rapid review and will take appropriate action as required. "The Minister reiterated to HNZ that patient and public safety are of paramount importance, and Health New Zealand have assured the Minister that they are taking all the necessary steps to ensure both." The incident comes three years after Hillmorton forensic mental health patient Zakariye Mohamed Hussein murdered Laisa Waka Tunidau as she walked home from work. Hussein was on community leave at the time of the killing. Two reviews were ordered, one into Hussein's care, and another looking at Canterbury District Mental Health Services. In June another Hillmorton mental health patient, Elliot Cameron was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years for murdering 83-year-old Frances Anne Phelps, known as Faye in October last year. Following his sentencing a suppression order was lifted allowing RNZ to report Cameron killed his brother Jeffrey Cameron in 1975. A jury found him not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and he was detained as a special patient. Cameron was made a voluntary patient at Hillmorton Hospital in 2016, and then in October last year murdered Phelps, striking her with an axe. RNZ exclusively obtained emails from Cameron to his cousin Alan Cameron sent over more than a decade, detailing his concerns that he might kill again. In response to the revelations, Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money said it was hard to see Phelps' death as "anything other than preventable". RNZ earlier revealed another case involving a man who was made a special patient under the Mental Health Act after his first killing was recently found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity for a second time, after killing someone he believed was possessed. After that article, Money called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into forensic mental health facilities. After Cameron's first killing was revealed, Money said she stood by her recommendation. "The public deserves an inquiry that can give actionable expert recommendations, as opposed to multiple coroners' inquests and recommendations that do not have the same binding influence. The patients themselves, and the public will be best served by an independent inquiry, not another internal review that changes nothing."
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Shuffles continue at top of hospital project
A fast-rising bureaucrat brought in to helm the government's reset of the new Dunedin hospital project has been dumped from the inpatient build, the Otago Daily Times understands. Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) head of infrastructure delivery Blake Lepper had fronted the $1.88 billion Dunedin hospital project for HNZ, including standing alongside ministers at press briefings and being described as ''senior responsible officer''. Mr Lepper arrived at HNZ last March from a management role at the Infrastructure Commission, but after repeated questions to HNZ from the Otago Daily Times about whether Mr Lepper was still senior responsible officer for the inpatient build, the agency admitted he is not. Tony Lloyd, who was removed as the build's programme director in November, has been confirmed as project director for the build. HNZ said Mr Lepper, who has a law and physics degree from the University of Otago, retained responsibilities for completion of Dunedin's outpatient building, and workforce and data and digital work streams, as well as other infrastructure projects. The period of Mr Lepper's leadership of the inpatient build was fraught. After piles were driven, no contract was awarded to build the inpatients building and ministers claimed a project blowout, and sought a reset. Meanwhile, sources moaned about HNZ leadership prevarication causing delays. The option of refurbishing the existing ward block, rather than constructing a new inpatient building, had been previously considered and ditched, but was reconsidered under Mr Lepper and dismissed again. Mr Lepper's departure from the inpatient building comes hot on the heels of other senior personnel changes and announcements relating to how the project is staffed, delivered and governed. Last month, corporate boss Evan Davies — group chief executive of gas and property company Todd and member of a new HNZ health infrastructure committee — was appointed as crown manager of the inpatient building project by Health Minister Simeon Brown. When announcing the appointment, Mr Brown said HNZ had ''struggled to maintain momentum on the project and identify a path forward''. Mr Brown, who had spoken in January alongside Mr Lepper at a press conference announcing the inpatient build would go ahead, has repeatedly stressed that Mr Davies now has authority to make appointments to run the project. In the press conference, Mr Brown said the focus was ''cracking on'' with the build. Mr Lepper's messaging in the conference was less clear. He said HNZ was committed to leading the project, but was also ''looking across government to get the support we need to make sure we can move''. He was ''really grateful'' for support that was being provided by Crown Infrastructure Delivery (CID), a crown agency tasked with helping government departments manage infrastructure builds. Subsequent to Mr Davies becoming crown manager, HNZ sent Australian construction giant CPB a ''letter of intent'' to hire the firm to deliver the inpatient building. CID, which has no hospital-building experience, will not be project managing CPB's work. A question mark also hovers over the future and role of the project's governance committee, the Project Steering Group (PSG), which is meant to oversee the build. Rebecca Wark, the former head of health construction for New South Wales, was the most recent independent chairwoman of the PSG, but HNZ said her contract ended last month and it was ''currently reviewing the structure of the group''.
Scoop
8 hours ago
- Scoop
Patient-Focused New Zealand Health Plan Tabled
Minister of Health Health New Zealand's New Zealand Health Plan was tabled in Parliament this afternoon. Developed by Health New Zealand, the plan is a requirement under the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. 'The plan outlines how Health New Zealand will deliver on the Government's health priorities over the period 2024–2027,' Health Minister Simeon Brown says. 'It sets the direction for how we will improve health outcomes and ensure all New Zealanders can access the care they need, where and when they need it. 'It gives effect to the Government Policy Statement on Health 2024–2027, with a clear focus on the Government's five health targets and five mental health targets: Health targets: faster cancer treatment improved childhood immunisation shorter stays in emergency departments shorter wait times for first specialist assessments shorter wait times for elective treatment. Mental health and addiction targets: faster access to specialist mental health and addiction services faster access to primary mental health and addiction services shorter mental health and addiction related stays in emergency departments increased mental health and addiction workforce development strengthened focus on prevention and early intervention. 'The plan is focused on achieving the Government's health targets, ensuring the health system delivers real results for patients and communities. These targets are backed by clear accountability and transparent reporting, so the public can track progress on a regular basis. 'Reducing wait times is a key priority for the Government. Too many New Zealanders have been left waiting far too long for the care they need. Under the last Government, waitlists ballooned – with the number of Kiwis waiting more than four months for elective procedures like hip, knee, or cataract surgeries increasing by over 2,500 per cent. 'Health New Zealand is focussed on delivering the Elective Boost programme, which will deliver 21,000 additional procedures over the 2025/2026 year to help clear the backlog of patients needing care.' The plan also sets out how the Government will grow and support the health workforce; improve clinical leadership with continuous quality improvement and innovation; invest in essential hospital infrastructure; ensure services are delivered more consistently across the country; and strengthen primary care across New Zealand so that people can receive timely, quality care in the community. 'Our focus is clear: putting patients back at the centre of the health system. We're building a system that delivers real results, and this plan is a key part of that,' Mr Brown says. Note:
