Francesca Rudkin: It's been a big week for the health sector

It has been another big week for Health Minister Simeon Brown as he outlined his plan to deliver a better health system for New Zealanders. 

At the announcement on Friday, Brown outlined his 5 key health priorities, a shift back to local decision making by July this year - and that NZ Health would return to board governance. What was most interesting was that the Minister already has the cash and plans lined up to achieve the 5 priorities.  

Take note, Ministers. This is how to give an impression of action, even if what you’ve claimed as your own has likely been conceived and developed by your predecessor.  

Compared to Shane Reti’s quite specific list of 5 key priorities released at the same time last year, Brown has pitched a little broader, but is largely focused on same outcomes. Brown is going for a mix of quick and long term fixes.  

Kiwis waiting for elective surgery will be thrilled to hear the Government is investing $50 million between now and the end of June to reduce the backlog - that’s an additional 10,579 procedures and a nice way to shift the stats on one of his priorities.  

But this is ‘ambulance at the bottom of the hill’ stuff. And it’s just a short-term sugar hit if they can’t then keep up with future elective surgery demand and wait times. Hence, Brown is now looking to shore up better contracts with private operators to take the load off the public sector in an ongoing capacity.   

One obvious issue with this is that the private sector isn’t evenly spread across the country - post code lottery health care, anyone? This approach also relies on the private sector having the capacity to take on more public elective surgery.  

Is this another step towards privatising our health care system? Hopefully not. But if it means getting the surgery you have been waiting for, in pain, for a long time, I’m not sure voters will care who is delivering the service as long as it’s prompt and free.

Brown's other priorities include making sure Kiwis have timely access to a doctor, reducing ED wait times, and investing in health infrastructure, digital and physical. Earlier in the week, Brown announced an increase in placements and incentives for overseas doctors and nurses to work in primary care, a 24/7 digital service for New Zealanders to access online medical appointments, and a $285 million uplift for general practice over 3 years 

General Practitioners Aotearoa welcomes the funding and attention on general practice, but says more information is needed to about how the money will be spent and distributed. 

As always, the devil is in the details. Will the $289 million land on the front line, or will it be used to recruit and train these overseas doctors, pay the $30 million for the nurse recruitment initiative, and run the digital service? If so, then how much does that help GP’s take on new patients and achieve the Government's targets?

As for digital healthcare - there are already services on the market - not sure if the Government needs to invest in its own.  

Only time will tell if the Health Minister is on the right path - but after only minor improvements against targets last year, new minister Brown needs to be seen to take a bigger swing this year, even if he’s borrowing someone else’s homework.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
It has been another big week for Health Minister Simeon
Brown as he outlined his plan to deliver a better
health system for New Zealanders. At the announcement on Friday,
Brown outlined his five key health priorities, a shift back
to local decision making by July this year, and that
New Zealand Health would return to board governance. What was
most interesting was it the minister already has the cash

(00:33):
and the plans lined up to achieve his five priorities.
Take note, ministers, this is how to give an impression
of action, even if what you've claimed as your own
has lightly been conceived and developed by your predecessor. Compared
to Shane Retti's quite specific list of five key priorities
released at the same time last year, Brown has pitched

(00:54):
a little broader, but is largely focused on the same outcomes.
Brown is going for a mix of quick and long
term fixes. Keir's waiting for elective surgery will be thrilled
to hear the government is investing fifty million between now
and the end of June to reduce the backlog. That's
an additional ten five hundred and seventy nine procedures and
a nice way to shift the stats on one of

(01:16):
his priorities. But this is of course ambulance at the
bottom of the hill staff and it's just a short
term sugar hit if they can't then keep up with
future elective surgery demands and wait times. Hence, Brown is
now looking to shore up better contracts with private operators
to take the load off the public sector and an
ongoing capacity. One obvious issue with this is that the

(01:38):
private sector isn't evenly spread across the country postcode lottery
healthcare system anyone. This approach also relies on the private
sector having the capacity to take on more public elective surgery.
So is this another step towards privatizing our healthcare system?
Hopefully not, But if it means getting the surgery you
have been waiting for in pain for a long time,

(02:00):
I am not sure voters will care who is delivering
the service as long as it's prompt and free. Brown's
other priorities include making sure kiwis have timely access to
a doctor, reducing edy wait times, and investing in health infrastructure,
digital and physical and Earlier in the week, Brown prepped
himself for this priority. Earlier in the week, Brown announced

(02:21):
an increase in placements and incentives for overseas doctors and
nurses to work in primary care, a twenty four to
seven digital service for New Zealanders to access online medical appointments,
and a two hundred and eighty five million uplift for
general practice over three years. General practitioners Alturrole welcomes the
funding and attention on general practice man they've been calling

(02:41):
out for it for a long time, but says more
information is needed about how the money will be spent
and distributed. As always, devil is in the detail. Will
the two hundred and eighty nine million land on the
front line or will it be used to recruit and
train these overseas doctors, pay the thirty million for the
nurse recruitment initiative and run the digital service. If so,

(03:03):
then how does that help GPS take on new patients
and achieve the government's targets. As for digital healthcare, there
already services on the market. Not sure the government needs
to invest in its own, so only time will tell
if the Health Minister is on the right path. But
after only minor improvements against targets last year. New Minister
Brown needs to be seen to take a bigger swing

(03:25):
this year, even if he's borrowing someone else's homework.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
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