43854 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

43854 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health: What actions, if any, have been taken in the last quarter (January to March 2024) to implement the recommendation ‘Services should reorient to meet the needs of Māori including interventions such as redeploying existing staff or using alternative locations to deliver services’ as part of Te Whatu Ora Planned Care Taskforce Reset and Restore Plan?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I am advised that in the January to March 2024 quarter, districts and regions continued to work hard to identify patients that were able to travel to alternative locations to receive care, and work to coordinate this regionally. I am further advised that regions coordinate 'insourcing' of existing staff to deliver services, such as where a surgeon may need to travel to another hospital site to undertake a surgical list. In March, I announced additional funding for the National Travel Assistance Scheme to better support patients, particularly those living rurally or where transport or accommodation may be a barrier to accessing care. In addition, Health NZ has also invested in initiatives such as Mobile Surgical Services that take care to more rural communities around New Zealand.