Equity Adjustor Tool
Andy R made this Official Information request to Health New Zealand
The request was successful.
      From: Andy R
      
    
    Dear Health New Zealand,
In June 2023, Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall announced a review/evaluation of the Equity Adjustor Tool.
Under the OIA, please provide me with:
- a copy of any final report that was produced at the conclusion of the review/evaluation
- a summary of the main findings review/evaluation
- a summary of the changes, if any, that have resulted from the review/evaluation
- or, an update on the review/evaluation and any interim findings if the review/evaluation has not been completed
Please also answer the following questions:
- Is the Equity Adjustor Tool still in use?
- if it is still in use, please explain in what settings and how it is being used
- On 19 September 2023, in response to an OIA request, your organisation said: "Patients are first prioritised according to their clinical need and placed into a clinical category. The
equity tool is then used to help determine the order in which patients are booked for surgery within each clinical category. Factors taken into consideration include the length of time someone has been waiting, Māori or Pacific ethnicity, patients from low socio-economic areas and those living in rural areas." Is this still an accurate characterisation of how the tool is being used?
Yours sincerely,
Andy R.
        From: hnzOIA
      
    
    Tēnā koe, 
 
Thank you for contacting Health NZ, Te Whatu Ora. This is an automatic
 reply to confirm that we have received your email.  Depending on the
 nature of your request you may not receive a response for up to 20 working
 days.  We will try to respond to your query as quickly as possible.
 
 
Ngā mihi
 
Health NZ, Te Whatu Ora.
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        From: hnzOIA
      
    
    Tēnā koe Andy,
Thank you for your email of 25 May 2024, asking for the following
 information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
In June 2023, Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall announced a review/evaluation of the
 Equity Adjustor Tool.
Under the OIA, please provide me with:
- a copy of any final report that was produced at the conclusion of the
 review/evaluation
 - a summary of the main findings review/evaluation
 - a summary of the changes, if any, that have resulted from the
 review/evaluation
 - or, an update on the review/evaluation and any interim findings if the
 review/evaluation has not been completed
Please also answer the following questions:
- Is the Equity Adjustor Tool still in use?
 - if it is still in use, please explain in what settings and how it is
 being used
 - On 19 September 2023, in response to an OIA request, your organisation
 said: "Patients are first prioritised according to their clinical need and
 placed into a clinical category. The equity tool is then used to help
 determine the order in which patients are booked for surgery within each
 clinical category. Factors taken into consideration include the length of
 time someone has been waiting, Māori or Pacific ethnicity, patients from
 low socio-economic areas and those living in rural areas." Is this still
 an accurate characterisation of how the tool is being used?
This email is to let you know that Health NZ needs more time to make a
 decision on your request.
The Act requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no
 later than 20 working days after the day we received your request.
 Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet that time limit and we are
 therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our
 decision, to 9 July 2024. However, we will endeavour to provide a response
 prior to this date where possible.
This extension is required because the external consultations necessary to
 make a decision on your request are such that a proper response cannot
 reasonably be made within the original time limit.
If you have any questions, please contact us
 at [1][email address]
If you are not happy with this extension, you have the right to make a
 complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
 at [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
 
Nāku iti noa, nā
 
Caroline
 Government Services
 [3][email address]   
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Statement of confidentiality: This email message and any accompanying
 attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
 legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use,
 disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have
 received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and
 delete this message
References
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 1. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]
 2. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
 3. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]
      From: Andy R
      
    
    Dear Health New Zealand,
This information request is now one week late. Can you please provide me with an update on its progress as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Andy R
        From: hnzOIA
      
    
    Tēnā koe Andy,
  
 I would like to apologise for the continued delay in providing a response
 to your request for information dated 25 May 2024. Thank you for your
 patience.
  
 We regret that the consultations necessary to make a decision on your
 request are taking longer than expected. We are committed to providing a
 response as soon as possible and want to assure you that this has been
 prioritised and we will provide a further update shortly.
  
 Nāku iti noa, nā
  
 Caroline
 Government Services
 [1][email address]   
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
------------------- Original Message
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 Statement of confidentiality: This email message and any accompanying
 attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
 legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use,
 disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have
 received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and
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References
Visible links
 1. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]
 2. mailto:[health
 3. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
 4. mailto:[health
 5. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
        From: hnzOIA
      
    
    Kia ora Andy R,
  
 Thank you for your request for information regarding the Equity Adjustor
 Tool Review, on 25 May 2024. Please find attached our response to your
 request.
  
 I wish to apologise for the delay in providing our response and thank you
 for your ongoing patience. The time taken is not what we aspire to. This
 is something we are working to get on top of as we deal with a high volume
 of requests and the understandably high public interest in our work.  
  
 If you have any questions, please get in touch at
 [1][email address].
  
 If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a
 complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
 at [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
  
 Ngā mihi,
  
  
 Caroline
 Government Services
 [3][email address]   
 Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
 Statement of confidentiality: This email message and any accompanying
 attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
 legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use,
 disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have
 received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and
 delete this message
References
Visible links
 1. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]
 2. file:///tmp/
 3. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]
Things to do with this request
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