Latest news with #HauoraTaiwhenua
Scoop
23-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Budget 2025 Fails Rural Health Promises – Hauora Taiwhenua Warns Of Growing Inequities
Press Release – Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network The health budget has increased by 4.8% overall which doesnt cover increases in the cost of health care delivery and population gains. The Budget lacks any specific commitment to address long-standing inequities in rural healthcare. Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network is sounding the alarm following today's Budget announcement, which has failed to acknowledge — let alone invest in — rural health. 'For a National-led Government, we would expect the word rural to appear somewhere in the health budget. Instead, rural New Zealand seems to have been sidelined once again,' says Dr Grant Davidson, Chief Executive of Hauora Taiwhenua. The Government has also failed to act on the flagship rural health policy it entered the last election on and reiterated in its first 100-day plan once elected: the establishment of a third medical school at the University of Waikato focussing on rural general practice. In budget 2025 there is no investment or plan outlined for increasing rural medical placements, either through existing institutions or by establishing a new school. This inaction comes at a time when the rural workforce is in crisis and struggling to meet the needs of growing, ageing, and often underserved populations. We looked forward to congratulating a Government on implementing long-term planning for the rural health workforce but have been sadly let down. The health budget has increased by 4.8% overall which doesn't cover increases in the cost of health care delivery and population gains. The Budget lacks any specific commitment to address long-standing inequities in rural healthcare. We are waiting to see what capitation uplift will be offered, but early signs are that this is likely to be less than the Health New Zealand calculated increase in the cost of health services of 6.4% which will mean any gap will need to be made up by further increases to patient co-payments, which will need to be well above 6.4%. Any increased fees will only decrease access to general practice to those who most need it and then cause a further decline in already poor health outcomes in rural areas where there are higher populations of low-income, older and Māori populations. The funding for Comprehensive Primary and Community Care (CPCT) Teams, which allowed extra funding for general practices to add allied health and healthcare workers to their teams to improve services, has also been discontinued. Hopes that Budget 2025 would deliver pay parity for primary care nurses have also been dashed. Instead, legislative changes mean any progress will now be delayed at best. Primary care nurses, especially those working in rural settings, continue to be paid significantly less than their hospital counterparts, worsening recruitment and retention challenges. Hauora Taiwhenua is also raising concerns about the proposed transfer of mental health crisis response responsibilities from Police to health services. Funding to support the transfer of responsibility of this from Police is included in the budget. This may offer long-term benefits in urban centres, but it raises serious questions for rural areas, where health teams are already stretched and crisis response capacity is limited or non-existent. We are waiting to see if any resourcing or rural contingency planning will be announced to support this shift in the implementation phase. We acknowledge the pre-budget announcements to enact a Primary Care Action Plan, including funding for urgent and unplanned care initiatives. We are excited by the potential to finally deal with the major issue of providing after-hours and urgent care in rural and remote areas, including surges in demand during holiday times. But there is little detail around these and no ring-fenced funding for implementing them in rural areas. The Minister's commitment to what he terms 'enhanced capitation funding' is for the delivery of extra services and targets that have not yet been announced, not for the support of already underfunded rural primary care. We understand that Health New Zealand's own analysis shows that delivery of primary care in rural and remote areas costs more than in urban areas, and yet the project to re-weight capitation formulas to provide increased base payments for those in rural areas where increased costs and high co-morbidity demands lie has been put on hold. There is still some possibility that Health New Zealand may choose to commit some of its increased funding in operational spending to improve the sustainability of under-siege community-owned rural hospitals and interprofessional rural training hubs that are in the Health NZ workforce plan, but we have been holding our breath for over a year already on both of these projects. 'Budget 2025 was an opportunity to demonstrate that rural Aotearoa matters. Instead, it sends a message that the promises made before the election are not being honoured,' says Dr Davidson. 'Without urgent action, we risk further erosion of rural health services and deepening inequities for the communities who already struggle most to access care.' Hauora Taiwhenua Chair, Dr Fiona Bolden summarises, 'This is a budget which will leave rural health providers and rural communities feeling even more despairing than before when it comes to the sustainability/viability of rural health services and the safety of patients.' Hauora Taiwhenua will continue to work with the Government, policymakers, Agency staff, rural providers and the community to ensure that the voices of rural New Zealand are heard — and that future decisions reflect their needs and realities. 'We know that delivering healthcare in rural and remote areas comes with unique challenges and opportunities,' says Dr Davidson. 'Our members are ready to work with Government and Health New Zealand to co-design solutions that ensure rural communities receive equitable, high-quality care.'
Scoop
23-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Budget 2025 Fails Rural Health Promises – Hauora Taiwhenua Warns Of Growing Inequities
Press Release – Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network The health budget has increased by 4.8% overall which doesnt cover increases in the cost of health care delivery and population gains. The Budget lacks any specific commitment to address long-standing inequities in rural healthcare. Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network is sounding the alarm following today's Budget announcement, which has failed to acknowledge — let alone invest in — rural health. 'For a National-led Government, we would expect the word rural to appear somewhere in the health budget. Instead, rural New Zealand seems to have been sidelined once again,' says Dr Grant Davidson, Chief Executive of Hauora Taiwhenua. The Government has also failed to act on the flagship rural health policy it entered the last election on and reiterated in its first 100-day plan once elected: the establishment of a third medical school at the University of Waikato focussing on rural general practice. In budget 2025 there is no investment or plan outlined for increasing rural medical placements, either through existing institutions or by establishing a new school. This inaction comes at a time when the rural workforce is in crisis and struggling to meet the needs of growing, ageing, and often underserved populations. We looked forward to congratulating a Government on implementing long-term planning for the rural health workforce but have been sadly let down. The health budget has increased by 4.8% overall which doesn't cover increases in the cost of health care delivery and population gains. The Budget lacks any specific commitment to address long-standing inequities in rural healthcare. We are waiting to see what capitation uplift will be offered, but early signs are that this is likely to be less than the Health New Zealand calculated increase in the cost of health services of 6.4% which will mean any gap will need to be made up by further increases to patient co-payments, which will need to be well above 6.4%. Any increased fees will only decrease access to general practice to those who most need it and then cause a further decline in already poor health outcomes in rural areas where there are higher populations of low-income, older and Māori populations. The funding for Comprehensive Primary and Community Care (CPCT) Teams, which allowed extra funding for general practices to add allied health and healthcare workers to their teams to improve services, has also been discontinued. Hopes that Budget 2025 would deliver pay parity for primary care nurses have also been dashed. Instead, legislative changes mean any progress will now be delayed at best. Primary care nurses, especially those working in rural settings, continue to be paid significantly less than their hospital counterparts, worsening recruitment and retention challenges. Hauora Taiwhenua is also raising concerns about the proposed transfer of mental health crisis response responsibilities from Police to health services. Funding to support the transfer of responsibility of this from Police is included in the budget. This may offer long-term benefits in urban centres, but it raises serious questions for rural areas, where health teams are already stretched and crisis response capacity is limited or non-existent. We are waiting to see if any resourcing or rural contingency planning will be announced to support this shift in the implementation phase. We acknowledge the pre-budget announcements to enact a Primary Care Action Plan, including funding for urgent and unplanned care initiatives. We are excited by the potential to finally deal with the major issue of providing after-hours and urgent care in rural and remote areas, including surges in demand during holiday times. But there is little detail around these and no ring-fenced funding for implementing them in rural areas. The Minister's commitment to what he terms 'enhanced capitation funding' is for the delivery of extra services and targets that have not yet been announced, not for the support of already underfunded rural primary care. We understand that Health New Zealand's own analysis shows that delivery of primary care in rural and remote areas costs more than in urban areas, and yet the project to re-weight capitation formulas to provide increased base payments for those in rural areas where increased costs and high co-morbidity demands lie has been put on hold. There is still some possibility that Health New Zealand may choose to commit some of its increased funding in operational spending to improve the sustainability of under-siege community-owned rural hospitals and interprofessional rural training hubs that are in the Health NZ workforce plan, but we have been holding our breath for over a year already on both of these projects. 'Budget 2025 was an opportunity to demonstrate that rural Aotearoa matters. Instead, it sends a message that the promises made before the election are not being honoured,' says Dr Davidson. 'Without urgent action, we risk further erosion of rural health services and deepening inequities for the communities who already struggle most to access care.' Hauora Taiwhenua Chair, Dr Fiona Bolden summarises, 'This is a budget which will leave rural health providers and rural communities feeling even more despairing than before when it comes to the sustainability/viability of rural health services and the safety of patients.' Hauora Taiwhenua will continue to work with the Government, policymakers, Agency staff, rural providers and the community to ensure that the voices of rural New Zealand are heard — and that future decisions reflect their needs and realities. 'We know that delivering healthcare in rural and remote areas comes with unique challenges and opportunities,' says Dr Davidson. 'Our members are ready to work with Government and Health New Zealand to co-design solutions that ensure rural communities receive equitable, high-quality care.'
Scoop
23-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Budget 2025 Fails Rural Health Promises – Hauora Taiwhenua Warns Of Growing Inequities
Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network is sounding the alarm following today's Budget announcement, which has failed to acknowledge — let alone invest in — rural health. 'For a National-led Government, we would expect the word rural to appear somewhere in the health budget. Instead, rural New Zealand seems to have been sidelined once again,' says Dr Grant Davidson, Chief Executive of Hauora Taiwhenua. The Government has also failed to act on the flagship rural health policy it entered the last election on and reiterated in its first 100-day plan once elected: the establishment of a third medical school at the University of Waikato focussing on rural general practice. In budget 2025 there is no investment or plan outlined for increasing rural medical placements, either through existing institutions or by establishing a new school. This inaction comes at a time when the rural workforce is in crisis and struggling to meet the needs of growing, ageing, and often underserved populations. We looked forward to congratulating a Government on implementing long-term planning for the rural health workforce but have been sadly let down. The health budget has increased by 4.8% overall which doesn't cover increases in the cost of health care delivery and population gains. The Budget lacks any specific commitment to address long-standing inequities in rural healthcare. We are waiting to see what capitation uplift will be offered, but early signs are that this is likely to be less than the Health New Zealand calculated increase in the cost of health services of 6.4% which will mean any gap will need to be made up by further increases to patient co-payments, which will need to be well above 6.4%. Any increased fees will only decrease access to general practice to those who most need it and then cause a further decline in already poor health outcomes in rural areas where there are higher populations of low-income, older and Māori populations. The funding for Comprehensive Primary and Community Care (CPCT) Teams, which allowed extra funding for general practices to add allied health and healthcare workers to their teams to improve services, has also been discontinued. Hopes that Budget 2025 would deliver pay parity for primary care nurses have also been dashed. Instead, legislative changes mean any progress will now be delayed at best. Primary care nurses, especially those working in rural settings, continue to be paid significantly less than their hospital counterparts, worsening recruitment and retention challenges. Hauora Taiwhenua is also raising concerns about the proposed transfer of mental health crisis response responsibilities from Police to health services. Funding to support the transfer of responsibility of this from Police is included in the budget. This may offer long-term benefits in urban centres, but it raises serious questions for rural areas, where health teams are already stretched and crisis response capacity is limited or non-existent. We are waiting to see if any resourcing or rural contingency planning will be announced to support this shift in the implementation phase. We acknowledge the pre-budget announcements to enact a Primary Care Action Plan, including funding for urgent and unplanned care initiatives. We are excited by the potential to finally deal with the major issue of providing after-hours and urgent care in rural and remote areas, including surges in demand during holiday times. But there is little detail around these and no ring-fenced funding for implementing them in rural areas. The Minister's commitment to what he terms 'enhanced capitation funding' is for the delivery of extra services and targets that have not yet been announced, not for the support of already underfunded rural primary care. We understand that Health New Zealand's own analysis shows that delivery of primary care in rural and remote areas costs more than in urban areas, and yet the project to re-weight capitation formulas to provide increased base payments for those in rural areas where increased costs and high co-morbidity demands lie has been put on hold. There is still some possibility that Health New Zealand may choose to commit some of its increased funding in operational spending to improve the sustainability of under-siege community-owned rural hospitals and interprofessional rural training hubs that are in the Health NZ workforce plan, but we have been holding our breath for over a year already on both of these projects. 'Budget 2025 was an opportunity to demonstrate that rural Aotearoa matters. Instead, it sends a message that the promises made before the election are not being honoured,' says Dr Davidson. 'Without urgent action, we risk further erosion of rural health services and deepening inequities for the communities who already struggle most to access care.' Hauora Taiwhenua Chair, Dr Fiona Bolden summarises, 'This is a budget which will leave rural health providers and rural communities feeling even more despairing than before when it comes to the sustainability/viability of rural health services and the safety of patients.' Hauora Taiwhenua will continue to work with the Government, policymakers, Agency staff, rural providers and the community to ensure that the voices of rural New Zealand are heard — and that future decisions reflect their needs and realities. 'We know that delivering healthcare in rural and remote areas comes with unique challenges and opportunities,' says Dr Davidson. 'Our members are ready to work with Government and Health New Zealand to co-design solutions that ensure rural communities receive equitable, high-quality care.'
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Hauora Taiwhenua Celebrates Government Investment In Rural Urgent Care Services While Waiting For Support In Budget 2026
Press Release – Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network Six rural and remote communities across Aotearoa have been selected as prototype sites, including Great Barrier Island, Coromandel, Te Kuiti, Trangi, Golden Bay, and Twizel. Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network welcomes the Government's investment in Urgent Care services. 'Urgent and unplanned care, including PRIME services, has been an identified priority concern for rural general practice for many years. We are glad to see the Government placing focus on this and looking to apply increased funding,' comments Chief Executive of Hauora Taiwhenua, Dr Grant Davidson. We are proud to be an active partner in the Rural and Remote Urgent Care Prototype Project that is going to put the recommendations of the Rural Urgent and Unplanned Care (RUUC) redesign work to test. It will 'rural proof' the National Afterhours and Urgent Care Framework prior to its implementation across rural communities over the next couple of years. This initiative marks a pivotal step in our ongoing advocacy for equitable healthcare in rural Aotearoa. It directly addresses the long-standing concerns of rural communities and providers about the lack of timely, locally delivered afterhours and urgent care. By supporting solutions that are designed by and for rural providers, this project empowers communities to shape services that reflect their realities, uphold their mana, and improve health outcomes for rural whānau. Six rural and remote communities across Aotearoa have been selected as prototype sites, including Great Barrier Island, Coromandel, Te Kuiti, Tūrangi, Golden Bay, and Twizel. Over the next few months, they will test innovative models of care that integrate clinical expertise, technology, and community-based solutions to improve the access that rural communities have to health services. These efforts aim to reduce patient travel, improve diagnostic speed, and ensure that rural whānau receive the care they need, when and where they need it. Dr Grant Davidson, Chief Executive of Hauora Taiwhenua, says: 'This could be a game-changer for rural health. The solutions will be designed by rural providers, tested out by rural providers and ultimately, implemented by rural providers'. 'We are excited to be part of this prototype project, which will not only improve urgent care access but also strengthen the sustainability of rural health services across the motu.' Hauora Taiwhenua looks forward to working alongside Health NZ, ACC, and rural providers to evaluate and refine these models, with the goal of scaling successful approaches nationally. This does not diminish our concerns about promises that the Coalition partners made to rural health prior to the election. We wait to see if the budget on Thursday addresses these pledges, which impact the overall sustainability of rural health delivery across New Zealand. We need our primary care nurses paid at equivalent rates to Te Whatu Ora nurses – equal pay for equal work. We need capitation funding increased to meet the costs of primary care delivery as evidenced by independent research funded by Health NZ. Further analysis carried out by HNZ in 2025 has shown that costs of primary care are higher for rural practices and Māori in those practices. This increased capitation should be passed on to the critical general practice teams operating in rural areas. We don't want to see further costs passed on to the community by expecting people to pay higher fees when they visit their doctor. This will reduce access and lead to even worse health outcomes. The rural focussed third Medical School at Waikato University was a key manifesto pledge of the National Party, and yet there has been no action. This needs to be funded now. If not, then funding that is specifically targeted to more medical placements in rural areas through the existing Medical Schools, with no ability for those Universities to repurpose the extra funding. Funding the long-promised interprofessional rural training hubs, which are clearly prioritised in the Health Workforce Plan.
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Hauora Taiwhenua Celebrates Government Investment In Rural Urgent Care Services While Waiting For Support In Budget 2026
Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network welcomes the Government's investment in Urgent Care services. 'Urgent and unplanned care, including PRIME services, has been an identified priority concern for rural general practice for many years. We are glad to see the Government placing focus on this and looking to apply increased funding,' comments Chief Executive of Hauora Taiwhenua, Dr Grant Davidson. We are proud to be an active partner in the Rural and Remote Urgent Care Prototype Project that is going to put the recommendations of the Rural Urgent and Unplanned Care (RUUC) redesign work to test. It will 'rural proof' the National Afterhours and Urgent Care Framework prior to its implementation across rural communities over the next couple of years. This initiative marks a pivotal step in our ongoing advocacy for equitable healthcare in rural Aotearoa. It directly addresses the long-standing concerns of rural communities and providers about the lack of timely, locally delivered afterhours and urgent care. By supporting solutions that are designed by and for rural providers, this project empowers communities to shape services that reflect their realities, uphold their mana, and improve health outcomes for rural whānau. Six rural and remote communities across Aotearoa have been selected as prototype sites, including Great Barrier Island, Coromandel, Te Kuiti, Tūrangi, Golden Bay, and Twizel. Over the next few months, they will test innovative models of care that integrate clinical expertise, technology, and community-based solutions to improve the access that rural communities have to health services. These efforts aim to reduce patient travel, improve diagnostic speed, and ensure that rural whānau receive the care they need, when and where they need it. Dr Grant Davidson, Chief Executive of Hauora Taiwhenua, says: 'This could be a game-changer for rural health. The solutions will be designed by rural providers, tested out by rural providers and ultimately, implemented by rural providers'. 'We are excited to be part of this prototype project, which will not only improve urgent care access but also strengthen the sustainability of rural health services across the motu.' Hauora Taiwhenua looks forward to working alongside Health NZ, ACC, and rural providers to evaluate and refine these models, with the goal of scaling successful approaches nationally. This does not diminish our concerns about promises that the Coalition partners made to rural health prior to the election. We wait to see if the budget on Thursday addresses these pledges, which impact the overall sustainability of rural health delivery across New Zealand. We need our primary care nurses paid at equivalent rates to Te Whatu Ora nurses - equal pay for equal work. We need capitation funding increased to meet the costs of primary care delivery as evidenced by independent research funded by Health NZ. Further analysis carried out by HNZ in 2025 has shown that costs of primary care are higher for rural practices and Māori in those practices. This increased capitation should be passed on to the critical general practice teams operating in rural areas. We don't want to see further costs passed on to the community by expecting people to pay higher fees when they visit their doctor. This will reduce access and lead to even worse health outcomes. The rural focussed third Medical School at Waikato University was a key manifesto pledge of the National Party, and yet there has been no action. This needs to be funded now. If not, then funding that is specifically targeted to more medical placements in rural areas through the existing Medical Schools, with no ability for those Universities to repurpose the extra funding. Funding the long-promised interprofessional rural training hubs, which are clearly prioritised in the Health Workforce Plan. Funding Rural Hospitals so that they can sustainably offer key services to rural communities.
