‘Constant Progress’ to achieve waiting goals – Health Nz Chief

Waiting times for some medical treatment stayed longer.
Photo: Unsplash/ Stephen Andrews

Waiting times for the first specialized consultations and elective treatment have stayed longer, but Health NZ says it is on its way to making improvements to the other three government health goals: shorter emergency department waiting times, faster cancer treatment and childhood immunizations.

Its latest quarterly report – for October to December 2024 – shows modest improvements of 1.3 % for cancer treatment times and childhood immunizations in three months by the end of December compared to the previous quarter.

Emergency department waiting times improved 4.6 %, with just over 72 % of patients treated, high or admitted to the hospital within six hours.

The goal is 95 % of ED stays in less than six hours to 2030.

‘Transit Lounges’ helps to cut Ed’s waiting times

NZ Health’s interim chief executive Dale Bramley said the results showed “constant progress.”

“Recent initiatives such as the opening of traffic lounges in North Shore and Palmerston North Hospital and an ED observation unit in Canterbury are supporting performance improvements for shorter stays in the emergency departments goal.”

The faster cancer treatment times were in part the result of Pharmac now finance 10 more cancer medications, he said, with lakes, Wairarapa, Whanganui and Hutt Valley were already exceeding the 90 %goal.

“Throughout the country, we are working to improve performance through initiatives, such as a new nursing chemotherapy infusion unit, opened at Bay of Islands Hospital, reducing the need for patients traveling to Whangārei.”

By the end of the year, 77 % of two -year -olds were fully immunized – over 75.7 % in the previous quarter – but just below the same period of the previous year, when the coverage was 77.2 %.

Bramley said the Health NZ was working closely with partners from all over the industry to maintain “this moment”, aiming at priority populations, increasing the ability of the workforce and technical support.

Meanwhile, waiting times remained “a challenge” with the first specialized reviews and elective treatment goals getting worse compared to the previous quarter.

“A recent increase for outsourcing and insertion will increase the number of procedures we are able to deliver.”

Health NZ was committed to making improvements to all these measures, he said.

“These health goals are not just measuring system performance, they are about people. Behind each number is an individual, a family, many waiting with pain and families anxious for their loved ones to access the care they need.

“In your heart, targets are about providing the New Zealandes the best possible health care.”

Minister of Health Simeon Brown.
Photo: RNZ / NICK MONRO

The health system needs to do more and do it faster – Health Minister

Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government’s commitment to health goals continued to “stabilize the health system” – but it took more work to get in the waiting lists.

“More people are being added to the waiting lists than receiving treatment or evaluations, which means that there is still significant work necessary to improve the pace in which elective treatment and the first specialized evaluations are being delivered.

“Delivering more at a faster rate than patients are added to waiting lists is essential to reducing waiting lists and waiting times.

“This is why I recently announced the Elective Boost, in partnership with private hospitals to maximize operational capacity and expand procedures. This initiative will provide 10,579 additional procedures until mid -year, with 2000 already completed, including cataracts, hip and knee.”

What the data shows

The results today show:

Faster cancer treatment: improved

• 85.9 % of patients received cancer management within 31 days after the decision to deal with in quarter two compared to 84.6 % in quarter one.
• The 24/25 milestone is 86 %.
• 4546 patients received cancer treatment at the two. Of these, 3903 patients received it in 31 days.

Enhanced Immunization for Children: Improved

• 77 % of children were fully immunized at 24 months of age in both quarters, compared to 75.7 % in quarter one.
• Marco 24/25 is 84 %.
• There were 14,891 children eligible to be fully immunized in quarter two. Of these, 11,462 were fully immunized.

Remains shorter in emergency departments: improved

• 72.1 % of patients were admitted, upward or transferred from one from within six hours of the quarter two, compared to 67.5 % in quarter one.
• Marco 24/25 is 74 %.
• There were 332,110 Emergency Department participants in the two. Of these, 239,519 were admitted, discharged or transferred in six hours.

Shorter waiting times for the first specialized assessment*: worse

• 60.6 % of patients expected less than four months for a first specialized assessment, compared to 61.2 % in quarter one.
• The 24/25 milestone is 62 %.
• There were 197,179 people waiting for a first specialized assessment at the end of the quarter two. Of these, 119,439 were waiting less than four months.

Shorter waiting times for treatment: worse

• 59.2 % of patients expected less than four months for elective treatment, compared to 62.2 % in quarter one.
• The 24/25 milestone is 63 %.
• There were 84,989 people awaiting elective treatment at the end of the quarter two. Of these, 50,283 were waiting less than four months.

* First specialized evaluation data for 2024 exclude the Auckland district.

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