43857 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Health

43857 (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 ‘Examination of data to determine the extent to which interruption to planned care has disproportionately affected Māori’ as part of Te Whatu Ora Planned Care Taskforce Reset and Restore Plan?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I am advised that during the January to March 2024 quarter, Health New Zealand launched its national Theatre Metrics Dashboard. I am further advised that interruption of planned care, particularly in response to periods of increased acute demand (e.g., higher acute admissions and hospital occupancy in winter) can result in deferral of planned care. Health NZ monitors this through the number of hospital-initiated planned care cancellations on the day of surgery. The national Theatre Metrics Dashboard enables Health NZ to monitor this by ethnicity at a region, district, and hospital site level.