23 May 2025
roger
[FYI request #30786 email]
Ref: HNZ00086179
Tēnā koe Roger
Thank you for your email of 21 April 2025.
You are correct in noting that our hospitals are full. This is particularly the case in our large, urban
hospitals. This is an incredibly complex issue and wil take many years to address.
Most people access acute care outside of the hospital system. Emergency departments (EDs)
have approximately 1.3 mil ion episodes of care annually; urgent care around 2.5 mil ion; and
general practice around 20 million. With this mix of services, New Zealand has one of the lowest
rates of presentations to EDs per head of population compared to its peers, including Australia.
The primary care sector does excellent work in keeping people with minor acute health conditions
away from the emergency department.
Hospital services are delivering more care than ever before. Over time we have seen emergency
department presentations and acute hospital admissions increasing. Along with increasing
numbers of patients, the
complexity of patients is also increasing. This means that patients spend
longer in hospital.
Similarly to the rest of the world, the ageing population in New Zealand is also contributing to
longer stays in hospital. The average 80-year-old uses 10 times the number of bed days as the
average 45-year-old.
The government has re-introduced the Shorter Stays in Emergency Departments (SSED) target.
This target is for 95% of patients to be discharged, transferred, or admitted to hospital within six
hours of arrival in an ED. SSED is an indicator of the level of pressure in our health system and
requires every part of the health care system to work together to improve patient flow, not just the
emergency department. The pressure in our emergency departments reflects the busyness of
primary care, inpatient wards, and discharging patients into the community.
Health NZ is focusing on improving patient flow through our emergency departments, hospital
wards, and back into the community. Reducing the number of days a patient spends in hospital
when they do not need to be there is an important piece of work and wil free up hospital beds.
This requires working closely with community providers, to make sure that patients can be safely
cared for in the community after discharge.
You are also correct in noting that it can be hard to see a general practitioner. Health NZ is aware
of the challenges some people have in accessing care in primary care. We are aware that the
primary health care sector is facing considerable pressure and assure you that work is underway to
improve access.
For instance, the Minister of Health recently announced a $285 mil ion uplift in funding for general
practice over three years from 1 July 2025. This is additional funding that wil make a real
difference in ensuring New Zealanders get better access to healthcare. It wil enable GPs to offer
enhanced access, including keeping their books open to new patients, and seeing patients in a
timely manner. The Government has also announced a $164 mil ion dollar investment to expand
and strengthen urgent and after-hours healthcare across the country.
Investment is also being made in a new 24/7 digital healthcare service that wil give people more
choice by accessing video consultations with New Zealand-registered clinicians, such as GPs and
nurse practitioners. This service wil mean people can access primary healthcare from anywhere in
New Zealand, 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the ability for GPs and nurses to issue
prescriptions or make referrals for lab tests. This is a practical solution that wil expand access to
primary care by providing an additional service.
While these initiatives wil take time to have an impact, please be assured we do understand the
issues currently at play and we are committed to ensuring healthcare is accessible to all.
Thank you again for taking the time to write. I hope this information is useful, and I wish you wel .
Nāku noa, nā
Rachel Haggerty
Director – Funding, Hospitals
Planning Funding and Outcome
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
PO Box 793 Wellington 6140
N
ew Zealand
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