Simeon Brown: Health Minister on reinstating the board of Health New Zealand

The Government is reinstating the board of Health New Zealand, only eight months after it was scrapped.

Lester Levy was appointed as commissioner and replaced the board last year.

What does the new model look like? 

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the recruitment process has begun for a new board and talks to Ryan Bridge about the change.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now though, the Health and Z Board is coming back.
This is eight months after they got rid of it.
Lest Levy, of course replaced the old board. Well, he'll
be the next to go. Simion Brown's the Health minister.
Hime minister, how are you good? Thank you? So Lester
Levy's gone.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Well, we're going to be replacing the commission with a
board from the end of the commission, which ends an
end of July. Expect Lester will continue to have a
role beyond that as we do to ensure we have
a successful transition in order to make sure that his
knowledge and also is able to be transferred across it's
the biggest, one of the biggest organizations in the Southern Hemisphere,

(00:36):
so it's critically important that we have a successful transition.
But what we're announcing today is that we're going back
to more traditional governance so we can focus the organization
and make sure it's working for patients across the country.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
I've read this Deloitte report. It's absolutely damning. They basically
didn't know who was Arthur or Martha when it comes
to finances. Hence the problems when you say going back
to a local model, you don't DHBs, What do they
what does it look like and what it's about.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Its having nationally a nationally consistent model, locally delivered with
clear financial plans in place, clear financial output budgets. Well,
what's going to be happening in each district and the
national organization is holding those holding each part of the
organization accountable to deliver against that with proper financial controls
in place.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Organization who's in charge of the of the local areas
like they're going to be quasi d HB boards.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Well, now the organization is working, is devolved, is already
in the process of devolving into four regions. There's there's
regional leadership for each of those regions, so they'll be
established and they will hold the districts to account underneath that,
and it's about just putting in place good financial accountabilities,
delivery plans, to output plans, all of the things that

(01:52):
that Deloitte report has shown we're missing. Putting that in
place so we can focus every part of howth New
Zealand on delivering for patients.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
It sounds like they need it now. The private hospital
is the use of private hospitals. You're going to put
fifty million dollars in over six months. That will clear
ten thousand hopefully at the backlog of the procedures. Are
we not doing We already do that, we do contract
with the private section.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Were changing Well, we do it at a very ad
hoc level. Basically it's done on very short term arrangements.
I want this. I want to move to longer term arrangements,
probably three year contracts, where we actually manage to get
value for money, and we're able to plan better for
the workforce between the public system and the private system

(02:33):
as well, and there's huge efficiencies that can be gained.
The reality is our hospitals are doing both what's called
acute care when someone turns up and may have an
accident or something that can often disrupt the plan care,
which is the elective surgeries. And what I'd like to
see is, over the long term, more and more that
can care being done by the private sector, just like

(02:53):
how acc does it, so we're able to maximize the
efficiency of our health system and get the best outcomes
of patients. And I don't think patients really care who's
delivering the healthcare. They just want to know that that
they can get the access they need in a timely manner.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
The unions, of course, have come out and they worried
already because I suppose there is an argument to be
made if you're using private hospitals more and you're giving
them a certainty of work, three year planning, etc. Then
you might start to hollow out your public hospitals.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
I understand the concern, and that's why I've also asked
Health New Zealand to work to come to put together
a memory and of understanding and a partnership approach between
public and private to make sure that we're looking at
how we can share workforces appropriately, manage training and also
potentially look at joint recruitments. The reality is we need

(03:44):
to see our health workforces competing with Australia rather than
competing amongst ourselves. And that's the approach I want to
see our health system taking here in New Zealand already
started and I think that's really important, so we actually
grow and develop our work forced together rather than just
simply take the ad hoc approach that's been done in
the past.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
All right, Minister, appreciate your time. Thank you for that.
Simon Brown, who's the Health Minister.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
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