Watch Herald NOW: Health Minister Simeon Brown responds to ‘significant' concerns on overcrowding at New Zealand EDs
Today on Herald NOW, Health Minister Simeon Brown is responding to 'significant' concerns around overcrowding at New Zealand emergency departments.
He will be joining Ryan Bridge from 7.15am live from the below link.
From 7am-9 am weekdays, Herald NOW will be accessible via the NZ Herald homepage on desktop and mobile devices, streaming live from NZ Herald's purpose-built studio within the newsroom at NZME's central Auckland location.
Also on the show Garth Bray will dive into the latest business news, Peter Griffin is looking at technology and Labour leader Chris Hipkins will also talk to us.
Later, the panel will feature Deborah Pead and Mark Crysell discussing the big picture matters with Ryan.
Christchurch ED sees record patients
Official figures reveal more than 400 patients are turning up daily at Christchurch's emergency department (ED) and others are already seeing 'record numbers'.
It is a pattern the head of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine says is a 'significant worry'.
The Herald revealed on Monday serious concerns about patient safety and a lack of staff at Middlemore Hospital's overcrowded emergency department last winter, which included more than 1500 patients being treated in corridors in the space of just 36 days
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RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
Twelve-month prescription renewals: What you need to know
The government's plan will allow some patients to go longer between prescription renewals. Photo: 123RF In the annual flood of Budget coverage a few weeks back, one of the big announcements for the health sector was a move to allow 12-month prescription renewals from 2026. But how is it going to work and how will it affect your health services? RNZ is here to explain it all. The current maximum prescription length for most medicines is three months, but the government's new plan would extend that to 12 months for many medicines. This means that some patients will no longer need to visit their GP every three months to get their standing medication renewed. While some repeat prescriptions can be filled without a doctor's visit now by contacting their office, guidelines by the Medical Council of New Zealand on good prescribing practice say "patients receiving repeat prescriptions should be assessed in person on a regular basis" and repeats are given only with a doctor's discretion. In announcing the plan , Health Minister Simeon Brown said the current system "creates unnecessary barriers for patients on stable, long-term medications like asthma inhalers, insulin for diabetes, and blood pressure tablets. It means added costs for patients and more paperwork for health professionals, taking time away from patients with more urgent or complex needs". Medicines will still have to be dispensed every three months from pharmacies. "It's a win-win for patients and the health system - fewer avoidable hospitalisations, better health outcomes and reduced long term costs," Brown has said. Not until the first quarter of 2026. Luke Bradford of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs. Photo: supplied This is expected to mostly affect people on long-term medicines, the Ministry of Health said. The increased prescribing limit will also apply to oral contraceptives, which currently have a six-month prescribing limit. Royal New Zealand College of GPs medical director Dr Luke Bradford said that during consultation on the plan, the college had supported a six-month prescription renewal instead of 12. "We submitted on this and said 12 months is probably too long, six months would be reasonable." Dr Bradford said there would not be a centralised list of drugs that are part of the scheme and physicians will need to determine who benefits from 12-month renewals. "It's very much going to be a patient by patient situation and we can't put blanket rules across this. It depends on a whole raft of things but predominantly depends on conditions being managed." If you have multiple prescriptions for multiple conditions, you are far less likely to get 12-month renewals as a physician needs to monitor your ongoing health and possible interactions. "Prescribers will be responsible for determining the clinically appropriate prescription length and can prescribe for up to 12 months, or for shorter periods if they consider that most appropriate," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said. Controlled substances - which include opiates such as morphine and fentanyl - are not included. Controlled substances will not be included. Photo: 123RF/Steve Heap 2016 The Budget allocated $91 million over four years "to support this change". "It is expected this change will increase patients' access to medicines and therefore create a higher demand for medicines. Funding is required for the Combined Pharmaceutical Budget to meet the increased demand for medicines," the Ministry of Health spokesperson said. "The Budget includes $10m initial funding in the 2025/26 financial year, with outyear funding held in contingency, pending information gathered from the initial uptake." Some patients won't have to go to the GP quite as often, in theory. GP visits are charged differently from place to place and can run anywhere from $20 to $90 depending on the complicated calculation of fees at individual doctors' offices. The Ministry of Health has said that the average patient who renews prescriptions four times a year could save up to $105 a year on GP fees. It also has said the change could mean less time off work or school for appointments and it could make life easier for people in rural and remote areas who travel to get to their doctor. No. The $5 co-payment for most prescriptions - which was brought back under the current National-led government - will remain unchanged. And you'll still need to go back to the pharmacy every three months to have your prescriptions dispensed even if you're on a 12-month renewal from your doctor, Dr Bradford said. "There's some safety mechanisms built into this in that they're not going to dispense 12 months of medicines. People aren't going to suddenly have huge boxes of medicine at home." In a statement to RNZ, the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand said it cautiously supported the move, but had concerns. "PSNZ support the increased period in principle, but with some provisos - as always, it's the detail that will matter and we are waiting to receive that. "For example, there is currently no indication that funds to support the extra monitoring and counselling that may be required, when patients are picking up their medication every three months without any interacting with their general practice." If people visit their GPs less often, it will affect the income their practices receive. In its submission on the proposal , the Royal College said prescriptions account for between seven to 10 percent of practice revenue. "The financial impact on practices that rely on revenue from current prescription renewals could be substantial, e.g., one specialist GP calculated a $320,000 loss in a patient population of 14,500," that submission also reported. "There will definitely be an impact on that," Dr Bradford said. At the same time, it won't necessarily reduce the admin work needed. Doctors will still need to do the legwork with their patients to keep on top of ongoing records, tests and screening, he said. Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro On its website, the Ministry of Health said the Medicines Regulations will need to be amended to increase the maximum length of prescriptions, and IT systems will need to be updated to allow this change. The Medicines Regulations 1984 will need to be amended. Pharmac will make changes to the Pharmaceutical Schedule, while Health NZ will work to support GPs, other prescribers and pharmacies with updating systems and the transition. The Pharmaceutical Society said it also would work to ensure the prescription plan changes go smoothly. "PSNZ will use this time to engage with officials to support a smooth transition and highlight any unintended consequences, particularly any changes in workload and financial pressures that this change could place on pharmacists and their teams," it said in its statement. General Practice Owners Association chair Dr Angus Chambers recently told RNZ that many patients with chronic conditions needed regular reviews by a doctor or nurse. "Just to leave someone for 12 months to have their diabetes deteriorate may well lead to more emergency department visits and hospital admissions." Everyone manages their conditions differently, Dr Bradford said, and no two cases are quite the same. "If you're on five different meds for diabetes you're going to need three-month checkups." In announcing the plan, Simeon Brown said it would give GPs a breather. "Instead of spending time on routine repeat prescriptions, they can focus more on supporting those with complex or deteriorating health needs." Dr Bradford said the current three-month renewals do give a "safety net" for physicians to keep on top of issues. "By taking that away we either say we've still got to do that or the pressure goes on GPs to do it anyway and have to sit their own reminders for those periods of time and follow it up in their hour of clinic time." "The majority of patients will be fine," but a visit to a GP involves a lot more than just checking off a prescription renewal box, Dr Bradford said. "The moment you come in we're watching how you're walking, we're looking at your body language and listening for cues and we're reminding you of the screening you haven't done. "Those things that happen because you come in and say, 'Oh, I'm just here for my asthma medicine, doc,' are at risk of being lost." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
16 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Public-private healthcare opportunities identified
A strategic report focused on the future of public health services in Otago Central Lakes has identified six potential opportunities for public-private collaboration. The Otago Central Lakes strategic health report was sent to Health Minister Simeon Brown in February by the steering group, which was comprised of Southland MP Joseph Mooney, Health New Zealand, the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes District Councils, rural health providers, iwi, including kaupapa Māori health providers, Act MP Todd Stephenson and Waitaki MP Miles Anderson. Mr Mooney said the group's objective was to "expedite planning and investment in health services and infrastructure in Otago Central Lakes" — Central Otago District Mayor Tamah Alley said 70% of New Zealanders who lived two or more hours from a hospital resided in that region. The report said health service improvements were required to meet the current and future populations' needs. On a peak day, the district's combined population, which included visitors, was 168,000 — expected to nearly double by 2054, it said. "There is a reputational risk to all of Aotearoa New Zealand if adequate healthcare services are unavailable to deal with international visitor illness or injury." The report identified opportunities to increase public health services by partnering with the private sector, but Mr Anderson said the project was "not asking for public funds". The "early stage" public-private partnerships included in the report, which were "ready for collaboration", are: • The Southern Lakes Public Hospital — the location of which is to be determined — which is a proposed privately financed facility with full public hospital services and future capacity to become a regional hospital. • Lakeview Te Taumata Clinic (Queenstown), a private surgical hospital expected to open in 2027, with opportunities for maternity care and workforce development. • Integrated Care Hub (Wānaka), a planned day surgery with potential space for publicly funded after-hours services. • Wānaka Health Precinct, a private surgical hospital designed with capacity to integrate public services. • Aged-care facilities (Clyde), which are under construction, have the potential to expand into a full suite of publicly funded services for older people in Central Otago. • Securing land and investors in Central Otago for future public health infrastructure, based on the outcomes of the other projects. Additionally, the trust was exploring "innovative mobile modular units" which could be used as consultation rooms, clinics or staff accommodation and wanted to find land to host them in areas where they were needed, the report said. The $2 million funding was required to "complete the groundwork" for community consultation, clinical design and planning process, and technical assessments and detailed business cases Health New Zealand could work with — it already had $400,000 seed funding, it said. Subject to Mr Brown's support, a working group would be established to work with Health New Zealand to progress the proposed solutions — community engagement and consultation would follow.
Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Otago Central Lakes Strategic Health Report Available To Public
Press Release – Southern Lakes Health Trust The Strategic Report identifies opportunities to increase public health services in Otago Central Lakes by partnering with the private sector to invest in services and infrastructure to benefit our region. The Otago Central Lakes [1] Health Services & Assets project has publicly released the Strategic Report sent to Minister of Health Hon Simeon Brown in February 2025. The work supporting the Strategic Report is a collaborative effort, led by Joseph Mooney, MP for Southland and involving Health New Zealand, Central Otago District Council. Queenstown Lakes District Council, rural health providers, iwi, including kaupapa Māori health providers, local MPs, and the community. 'We have a clear objective; to expedite planning and investment in health services and infrastructure in Otago Central Lakes,' Mr Mooney says. The Strategic Report identifies opportunities to increase public health services in Otago Central Lakes by partnering with the private sector to invest in services and infrastructure to benefit our region. 'As we have outlined to the Minister, this project is not asking for public funds but is seeking support to effectively progress the opportunities and initiatives we have put forward,' says Miles Anderson, MP for Waitaki and member of the project's Steering Committee. Mayors of Queenstown Lakes District Council and Central Otago District Council also sit on the Steering Committee. 'The Strategic Report aligns with the component of the Regional Deal proposal that QLDC and CODC are partners to, towards developing innovative approaches to the area's health system. We look forward to feedback and direction from the Minister of Health, Simeon Brown on the Strategic Report and how this will help inform work on a health needs assessment for the area,' says QLDC Mayor Glyn Lewers. '70 per cent of New Zealanders who live two or more hours from a hospital live in Otago Central Lakes. Our proposal will bring healthcare closer to our residents and help to reduce demand on our regions' base hospitals in Dunedin and Invercargill,' says CODC Mayor Tamah Alley. 'Our approach will lead to far more streamlined and effective healthcare for this rapidly growing population. We have presented a strong plan to improve things for our people,' says Steering Committee member and ACT MP Todd Stephenson. [1] 'Otago Central Lakes' = areas currently encompassed by Central Otago District Council and Queenstown Lakes District Council, including Queenstown, Arrowtown, Kingston, Glenorchy, Wanaka, Luggate, Lake Hawea, Cardrona, Cromwell, Clyde, Alexandra, Roxburgh, Ranfurly.
