Manatū Hauora | Ministry of Health has today released the Health System Reform Progress Report for Q1 2023/24. This is the second quarterly system progress report.
Since our last report to Cabinet in June 2023, a number of important foundational elements have been put in place, including the Pae Ora | Healthy Futures Strategies, the Te Mauri o Rongo – New Zealand Health Charter and the Health System Reform Roadmap.
Te Whatu Ora is also making good progress on the ground. This includes winter planning, which this year enabled GPs and pharmacists to provide more services in the community – treating people earlier and taking pressure off the hospitals. Another example is the clinical telehealth service for ambulance staff, which has resulted in many patients being treated in the community and therefore avoiding a trip to the emergency department.
The reforms have brought together all the district health boards and supporting organisations into one entity (Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand), created Te Aka Whai Ora | the Māori Health Authority, and Whaikaha | Ministry of Disabled People, and are driving changes within Manatū Hauora as we focus on our role of setting the direction of our health system.
Change of this scale takes time and requires our continued efforts to make sure we get things right. We are regularly assessing our progress and these documents reflect point-in-time analysis of the reforms programme. We are making steady progress and, as expected, there are also challenges and issues we are working through.
