Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Chair Professor Lester Levy says New Zealanders can expect an absolute focus on frontline delivery of healthcare as the organisation undertakes a major reset.

“At the moment, people are having to wait too long for care, and we must do everything within our power to change this. The shortest wait is the safest wait for patients. Achieving National Health Targets for New Zealanders as soon as possible is our priority.

“We want to deliver the kind of outcomes that New Zealanders expect from the health system and be assured that we are living within the taxpayer resources we are gifted. I know our frontline staff are committed to doing their very best and we must back them to do that.

“Our reset will ensure we bring our decision making closer to the communities where care is being provided. We will achieve this by establishing regional leadership that will have the required level of autonomy to arrange their resources to deliver National Health Targets and health services more broadly for their populations.” says Professor Levy.

Chief Executive Margie Apa says changes are being made to the structure and operations of Health NZ and that work has already begun.

“We will be appointing four establishment regional Deputy Chief Executives empowered with the decision-making authority to organise hospital and specialist services and commissioning teams so that decisions are made closer to the point of care. These roles will empower clinical leadership to inform decision making at regional level.

“It has been a big task to bring so many organisations together as Health NZ, but the job is not finished.  We need to continually work on prioritising our resources within our baseline to where it matters most – supporting frontline care whether we provide or fund it.  There is further room for shifting resources to ensure we are as efficient as we can be. We have more work to do to remove duplication, reduce waste and tighten up procurement to ensure we get value. In the immediate term, however, powering up regions is our next step in that journey. 

“I look forward to working on the reset and supporting our teams to deliver the kind of health outcomes I know we all want for New Zealanders.” says Ms Apa. 

 

ENDS 

 

Media contact: hnzmedia@tewhatuora.govt.nz