‘Gap' in care to be fixed
Aroha Metcalf. PHOTO: JULES CHIN
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) has confirmed it is seeking proposals for the service, which will cater for children, adolescents and youth.
A request for proposals on the government's GETS website, expiring on May 19, says the service will "address the current service gap" in the region.
In a statement, HNZ Te Waipounamu community integration group manager Aroha Metcalf said the service was expected to begin in the "second half of 2025".
Ms Metcalf said she could not say more until the contract was awarded, but confirmed the new service had emerged from the "Te Hurihanga — Time for Change" review.
guy.williams@odt.co.nz
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Health plan doubts
Anyone ploughing through the 85-page New Zealand Health Plan document might wonder if the wait was worth it. The lack of detail and some of the disconnection between it and planned amendments to existing health law, and other actions already taken or signalled by the government, are among the issues. There is also the thorny question of whether it can do what it says it will. According to Health Minister Simeon Brown, the plan, covering financial years from 2024 to 2027, outlines how Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora will deliver on the government's health priorities. But Auditor-general (AG) John Ryan, who, under existing law, must audit the costed plan before it goes to the minister, could not give it a green light. He was unable to form an opinion on whether the plan provided a reasonable basis for delivering publicly funded health services to achieve desired improvements in health or gave reasonable effect to the Government Policy Statement on Health. Mr Ryan said the plan did not provide a clear explanation of how the actions intended to improve aspects of the health system had been selected and prioritised, and how they would contribute to the achievement of the desired improvements and targets. Health New Zealand said the plan was indicative of the level of maturity of the organisation and not costed to the level of traceability and integration between the financials, activities and desired improvements from a fully mature plan. The government plans to do away with the requirement for the AG to audit the plan, and its delivery. This move is included in the wide-ranging Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill, submissions on which close today. Mr Brown says removing requirements for auditing the plan pre- and post-delivery aligns HNZ with other crown entities. The organisation would still have its annual financial statements and statement of performance audited by the AG. While we understand there might be concern such an audit before the plan becomes public may be time-consuming, it is hard not to see this removal of specific scrutiny of the plan altogether is more about avoiding criticism rather than ensuring greater transparency and accountability. It is not the only time recently the Auditor-general's office has been critical of health plans. We have already written of the AG's concerns about whether the government's push for more planned surgery to the private sector may result in patients with complex issues, not suited for such referral, waiting longer than they otherwise might have. As the office pointed out at the health select committee last week, faster care did not necessarily mean more equitable care. It is still not clear how HNZ plans to ensure its plans do not exacerbate inequity, which should include looking at unmet need. The health plan has some clangers in it which do not align with the current government position. In the section on improving timely access to primary and community care, it says "we are resolving pay equity claims and improving nursing recruitment and retention by ensuring there is consistency in nurses' pay". That would have been a surprise to those in the sector who still do not have pay parity with their colleagues in HNZ and whose pay equity claims were scuppered after the government's ambush law changes earlier this year. Public health advocates may have been buoyed by the statement "we aim to reduce the availability and social acceptance of alcohol" in the section on modifiable risk factors, along with reference to strengthening compliance and regulatory approaches in this area. However, recent RNZ reporting showed initial plans to reduce off-licence sale hours now appear to be off the table nationally, and there will be an emphasis on reducing red tape for alcohol retailers to make life easier for them. Hard on the heels of the release of the health plan came another damning report about the health post-code lottery, this time for the treatment of heart disease, the biggest single cause of death in New Zealand. It was another illustration of how much work the government has to do to convince the public it has a cohesive plan for an equitable health system.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Scoop
Māori Health Leaders Warn Against Government Bill Stripping Treaty Rights
Ka anga atu au ki te anamata, ka titiro ki tua ki te pitomata, he ao anō kei mua i te aroaro – he reanga hou, he reanga reo! Te Pae Oranga o Ruahine o Tararua is today cautioning the Government's proposed Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill and its reduction of Māori governance in health decision-making. Te Pae Oranga Pītau Whakarei (Chief Executive) Naomi Manu MNZM says, 'While we are disappointed with the proposal to remove our direct link to Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand and the Government, we remain resolute in our focus on oranga tonutanga (lifelong wellness) for whānau in our rohe, and upholding mana motuhake (self-determination) in health decision-making.' Te Pae Oranga was established as the Mid-Central Iwi Māori Partnership Board in the 2022 Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act to represent and advocate for the health needs of the 44,000 Māori in the Manawatū, Palmerston North, Horowhenua, Tararua and Ōtaki regions. 'On behalf of the seven mana whenua in this rohe who entrusted us with their mandate, we will continue to advocate for the health needs and aspirations of whānau in this rohe, advise how the healthcare system is performing, and recommend health system design and service delivery to improve outcomes for our whānau.' Te Pae Oranga says the Bill proposes changes that undermine Te Tiriti obligations, iwi and Māori governance roles in health, and equity protections across vulnerable population groups. The proposed Bill strips key functions of the locally appointed IMPBs, removes explicit Crown responsibilities concerning Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and removes the health equity principles, which significantly weaken Crown responsibilities to marginalised populations, including Māori, disabled communities, refugees, migrants, LGBTQIA+ communities, and others. The principles guide the healthcare system to specifically work towards better outcomes for communities that historically suffer worse health outcomes, including Māori, who die an average of seven years earlier than non-Māori in New Zealand. 'We agree with the Minister of Health's focus on the healthcare system's accountability, efficiency and delivery of better outcomes for patients. Te Pae Oranga already holds proven solutions and local data to inform this work, and we invite Health Minister Simeon Brown to engage with us on how to deliver those outcomes together,' says Manu. Manu asks, 'Who is better placed to represent Māori communities than locally chosen Māori health leaders? We're still here and we will continue doing the work to improve the health system.' In April this year, Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand reported back to Te Pae Oranga results of their hauora Māori services outcome reporting and noted that: '43% of the people accessing hauora Māori healthcare services in the Mid-Central district do not identify as Māori, showing we know what works across the system.' The Government introduced the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill to Parliament on 2 July to amend the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. Parliament referred the Bill to the Health Select Committee, which will receive written submissions until 1 pm on 18 August 2025. The Committee will then report back to Parliament by 24 November 2025. The 2022 Act established the Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) and outlined their role in engaging with communities, assessing the state of hauora Māori, monitoring health sector performance, and working with Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora to develop priorities for improving hauora Māori. About Te Pae Oranga o Ruahine o Tararua Te Pae Oranga o Ruahine o Tararua is the Iwi Māori Partnership Board established in the 2022 Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act to listen to and advocate for the health needs of the 44,000 Māori in the Manawatū, Palmerston North, Horowhenua, Tararua and Ōtaki regions known as the Mid-Central District. Te Pae Oranga is an iwi-mandated Charitable Trust representing the seven mana whenua, mātāwaka and mana whaikaha across the Mid-Central district. Te Pae Oranga board members were appointed by the Mid-Central community after its establishment in 2022. As in the first article of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – governance over Māori affairs – Te Pae Oranga works towards better health outcomes for the Mid-Central district. About Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards IMPBs are representatives connected with and appointed by their communities because they are best placed to understand the needs of whānau, hapū and iwi in their respective regions, working to a future of pae ora (good health). IMPBs' role is to listen to the health needs and priorities of Māori communities, and work to meet these with government and the health sector.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Christchurch Hospital staff poised to strike for two hours Friday afternoon
Nurses last struck for better staffing levels in July. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel Nurses on three wards at Christchurch Hospital will walk off the job on Friday afternoon to protest chronic staffing shortages. The Nurses' Organisation (NZNO) said union members in theatre, post-anaesthetic care and radiology would strike for two hours from 2pm. NZNO Christchurch Hospital theatre delegate Gayl Marryatt said the strike was a result of the desperate staffing issues faced by members on a daily basis that had not been resolved in bargaining with Health New Zealand. "We hear of staff on the wards going home in tears, because they can't provide the care that they feel the patients need," she said. "The medications and treatments are getting delayed, because they just don't have the time to get round all their patients. "I've heard of hospital aids who sit with patients on the ward and that patient, in an entire shift, doesn't see a nurse, because they have a hospital aid with them, because nurses are dealing with sicker patients. "We are taking this action so Te Whatu Ora recognises there are not enough nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaimahi hauora [health workers]." Health New Zealand encouraged the union to return to bargaining. "We are aware that NZNO have issued a strike notice for a two-hour withdrawal of labour tomorrow from 2-4pm, covering Christchurch Hospital members working in perioperative, theatres and radiology services," said industrial relations executive lead Robyn Shearer. "Contingency plans are in place to ensure the continued delivery of health services during the strike." Shearer said the NZNO withdrew a two-hour strike notice in Christchurch on Wednesday on behalf of perioperative, theatre and radiology services staff, shortly before they were due to walk off the job. "Given the notice, Health NZ contingency planners prepared accordingly, and postponed planned care and first specialist appointments in the impacted departments," she said. "The strike notice was lifted 45 minutes before the action was due to start, leaving no time to re-instate the postponed planned care and appointments. "Health NZ is deeply concerned at these actions and the impacts this will have on the 85 patients, who had their care postponed yesterday. "While we recognise the right of NZNO members to strike, actions such as those taken yesterday in Christchurch have real impacts on patients." Nurses planned to hold nationwide industrial action on 2 September and 4 September, calling for better nurse-to-patient ratios and a return to hiring every graduate. Health NZ said it was deeply concerned by September's strike plans, which it said would cause the postponement of more than 2200 planned procedures, 3600 first-specialist appointments and 8000 follow-up appointments. Nurses last went on strike in late July, [ with similar demands]. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
