Wait times for some medical treatment have gotten longer. Photo: UnSplash/ Stephen Andrews
Wait times for first specialist appointments and elective treatment have gotten longer, but Health NZ says it is on track to make improvements on the other three government health targets: shorter emergency department wait times, faster cancer treatment and childhood immunisations.
Its most recent quarterly report - for October to December 2024 - show modest improvements of 1.3 percent for both cancer treatment times and childhood immunisations in the three months to the end of December, compared with the previous quarter.
Emergency department wait times improved by 4.6 percent, with just over 72 percent of patients either treated, discharged or admitted to hospital within six hours.
The target is for 95 percent of ED stays to be less than six hours by 2030.
'Transit lounges' help cut ED wait times
Health NZ Interim Chief Executive Dale Bramley said the results showed "steady progress".
"Recent initiatives such the opening of transit lounges in North Shore and Palmerston North hospitals and an ED observation unit in Canterbury are supporting improvements in performance for the shorter stays in emergency departments target."
Faster cancer treatment times were in part the result of Pharmac now funding 10 more cancer drugs, he said, with Lakes, Wairarapa, Whanganui and Hutt Valley were already exceeding the 90 percent target.
"Across the country we're working to improve performance through initiatives like a new nurse-led chemotherapy infusion unit opened at Bay of Islands Hospital reducing the need for patients to travel to Whangārei."
By the end of the year, 77 percent of two-year-olds were fully immunised - up from 75.7 percent the previous quarter - but slightly down on the same period the year before, when coverage was 77.2 percent.
Bramley said Health NZ had been working closely with partners across the sector to maintain "this momentum", targeting priority populations, boosting workforce capacity and tech support.
Meanwhile, wait times remained "a challenge" with first specialist assessments and elective treatment targets both getting worse compared with the previous quarter.
"A recent boost to outsourcing and insourcing will increase the number of procedures we are able to deliver."
Health NZ was committed to making improvements on all those measures, he said.
"These health targets aren't just about measuring performance of the system, they're about people. Behind every number is an individual, a family, many waiting in pain and families anxious for their loved ones to access the care that they need.
"At its heart, the targets are about providing New Zealanders with the best healthcare possible."
Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
Health system needs to do more and do it faster - Health Minister
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government's commitment to health targets continued to "stabilise the health system" - but more work was needed to get on top of wait lists.
"More people are being added to waitlists than who are receiving treatment or assessments, which means there is still significant work required to improve the pace at which elective treatment and first specialist assessments are being delivered.
"Delivering more at a faster rate than patients are added to waitlists is key to reducing waitlists and wait times.
"That's why I recently announced the elective boost, partnering with private hospitals to maximise operating capacity and expand procedures. This initiative will deliver 10,579 additional procedures by mid-year, with 2000 already completed, including cataracts, hip, and knee replacements."
What the data shows
The results today show:
Faster cancer treatment: improved
- 85.9 percent of patients received cancer management within 31 days of the decision to treat in quarter two, compared with 84.6 percent in quarter one.
- The 24/25 milestone is 86 percent.
- 4546 patients received cancer treatment in quarter two. Of those, 3903 patients received it within 31 days.
Improved immunisation for children: improved
- 77 percent of children were fully immunised at 24 months of age in quarter two, compared with 75.7 percent in quarter one.
- The 24/25 milestone is 84 percent.
- There were 14,891 children eligible to be fully immunised in quarter two. Of those, 11,462 were fully immunised.
Shorter stays in emergency departments: improved
- 72.1 percent of patients were admitted, discharged, or transferred from an ED within six hours in quarter two, compared with 67.5 percent in quarter one.
- The 24/25 milestone is 74 percent.
- There were 332,110 emergency department attendances in quarter two. Of those, 239,519 were admitted, discharged, or transferred within six hours.
Shorter wait times for first specialist assessment*: worse
- 60.6 percent of patients waited less than four months for a first specialist assessment, compared with 61.2 percent in quarter one.
- The 24/25 milestone is 62 percent.
- There were 197,179 people waiting for a first specialist assessment at the end of quarter two. Of those, 119,439 were waiting less than four months.
Shorter wait times for treatment: worse
- 59.2 percent of patients waited less than four months for elective treatment, compared with 62.2 percent in quarter one.
- The 24/25 milestone is 63 percent.
- There were 84,989 people waiting for elective treatment at the end of quarter two. Of those, 50,283 were waiting less than four months.
* First specialist assessment data for 2024 excludes the Auckland district.
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