1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,960
Speaker 1: Good afternoon. Do you remember those five performance targets the

2
00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,600
Speaker 1: government has set for Health New Zealand. It includes improving

3
00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:08,480
Speaker 1: cancer treatment, cutting emergency department wait times, cutting the time

4
00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:10,479
Speaker 1: you have to wait to see a specialist, and so on.

5
00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:12,959
Speaker 1: Health New Zealand has just today revealed how they're going

6
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,480
Speaker 1: to do that. Andrew Connolly is the chief medical officer

7
00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:16,720
Speaker 1: at County's manecou Hey.

8
00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,759
Speaker 2: Andrew, Hey, Heather, how are you very well?

9
00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:21,560
Speaker 1: Thank you? Thanks for your tom Now you're going to

10
00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:23,640
Speaker 1: get the private hospitals to help out here. How much

11
00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:26,360
Speaker 1: more expensive is using private than public?

12
00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,760
Speaker 2: Well you'd have to ask the finance guys that, but

13
00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:36,000
Speaker 2: not everything's more expensive in private. I think the key

14
00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,600
Speaker 2: thing for listeners is that private has for a long

15
00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,320
Speaker 2: time been part of our armentarium and it's got to

16
00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,320
Speaker 2: be part of the solution to getting the waiting list down.

17
00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,320
Speaker 2: Most of the work will still be done however in

18
00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,600
Speaker 2: public facilities, you know, we don't want to lose staff

19
00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:54,520
Speaker 2: to private just to do public work etc.

20
00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:56,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I know you guys are under the

21
00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,040
Speaker 1: pump public, but what about private? Do they have much capacity?

22
00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,320
Speaker 2: Look, I think they're obviously pretty busy if they're bit

23
00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,080
Speaker 2: of New Zealand healthcare occurs in private hospitals anyway. Of course,

24
00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,920
Speaker 2: most occurs in private and general practice. But from say

25
00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:16,000
Speaker 2: the surgical waiting list point of view, private has some capacity.

26
00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,480
Speaker 2: It probably you'd have to ask Private Surgical Association, but

27
00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,880
Speaker 2: it probably varies a bit with the economy and things. So,

28
00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,400
Speaker 2: you know, but we've always used some private capacity and

29
00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,039
Speaker 2: we've used it well, and that's a partnership we need

30
00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:33,080
Speaker 2: to keep developing to get the best for the public.

31
00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,360
Speaker 1: One of the other parts of your plan is to

32
00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,640
Speaker 1: expand the number of beds in operating theaters in hospitals

33
00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:41,720
Speaker 1: and existing hospitals. How much is that going to cost?

34
00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,680
Speaker 2: Well, again, you really don't want me talking about money.

35
00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:49,800
Speaker 2: I can't balance a cheppok operating rooms much.

36
00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:51,680
Speaker 1: Well, then let me ask you this with what money,

37
00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:52,559
Speaker 1: because you don't have any.

38
00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, So look, operating rooms aren't cheap, so that the

39
00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,520
Speaker 2: key focus for people like me is on using our

40
00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:05,520
Speaker 2: existing facilities more efficiently and more effectively. So at the moment,

41
00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,440
Speaker 2: you know, we do have operating rooms that aren't fully

42
00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:12,240
Speaker 2: used because we don't have all the staff we need.

43
00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,680
Speaker 1: So, which is bringing me to the next question. I

44
00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:17,160
Speaker 1: was going to ask you with what staff because you

45
00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:18,560
Speaker 1: don't have money for staff either.

46
00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,880
Speaker 2: Well, we have to make sure we're investing in the

47
00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,720
Speaker 2: right stuff. So that's where I think the Commissioner has

48
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:31,240
Speaker 2: less The Leivey has been very clear. Certainly I know

49
00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:39,360
Speaker 2: it counties. We're fortunate to have more antheus coming, but

50
00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,760
Speaker 2: there's also things we can do to try and make

51
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,720
Speaker 2: our existing use the resources more efficient. And this is

52
00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,880
Speaker 2: not saying the workforce is working harder, because frankly they can't.

53
00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:55,240
Speaker 2: This is working a bit smarter and that's a challenge

54
00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,839
Speaker 2: we've had for many years. It's been made a lot

55
00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,240
Speaker 2: worse since we had co IT and then the border closures,

56
00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:05,360
Speaker 2: border reopening and things. But you know, there's actually for

57
00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:10,280
Speaker 2: many services around the country because there's it's not just operations.

58
00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,040
Speaker 2: You obviously need to be seen in the first place,

59
00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:13,919
Speaker 2: to be assessed for the need for treatment and what

60
00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,320
Speaker 2: the diagnosis is, and that's called a first specialist assessment.

61
00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,600
Speaker 2: And we're actually starting to see some real progress in

62
00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,640
Speaker 2: weighing times and many services starting to come down right

63
00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,919
Speaker 2: across the country. You know, it's it's like it's green shoots.

64
00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,440
Speaker 2: We haven't got a fully fledged green lawn yet, but

65
00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,359
Speaker 2: it's encouraging to do the progress certainly compared with a

66
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:34,720
Speaker 2: year ago.

67
00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:36,240
Speaker 1: Well, and please, are you're sounding optimistic?

68
00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:36,600
Speaker 2: Andrew?

69
00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,520
Speaker 1: I really appreciated doctor Andrew Connelly, Chief Medical Officer Counties manicure.

70
00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:40,760
Speaker 1: Does it sound to you like they kind of know

71
00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:42,440
Speaker 1: how to do it, but they may have a problem

72
00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:46,200
Speaker 1: with money. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen

73
00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,360
Speaker 1: live and news talks. They'd be from four pm weekdays,

74
00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:51,640
Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.