1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: More change to health. As of July, health decisions go 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: back to local districts. They will be in charge of workforce, 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: budget and service delivery. Health New Zealand will still set 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: the strategy, standards and system wide setting. The locals will 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: be able to hire and deployee staff without central sign 6 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: off anyway. In chargeable of this is of course the 7 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: Health Minister sim And Brown, who is with us, good morning, 8 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: good morning. Mind this decentralization. Do they love it, do 9 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: they want it? Do they need it? 10 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 2: It's absolutely needed. The previous government over centralized our health system. 11 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:33,919 Speaker 2: This is about making sure the right decisions are being 12 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 2: made at the right level and absolutely putting staff closer 13 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,279 Speaker 2: to the decisions and patients closer to the decisions I think 14 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 2: is a good thing and will ultimately mean better care 15 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 2: for patients. 16 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: Right, So give me an example of a central setting 17 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: which will remain central, and an example of a local 18 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: decision that will now be local. 19 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 2: So an example of a central setting would be national 20 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 2: models of care, where Health New Zealand put a policy 21 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 2: together around how certain things would be delivered nationally. Infrastructure delivery, 22 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: that's going to be remaining centrally. But when it comes 23 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 2: to locally, when it's clinicians working around what's the way 24 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 2: that we can deliver care in our region or our 25 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 2: district for patients on a wait list for say, ophthalmology, 26 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 2: or for hips and knees, looking at the staff resource 27 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 2: they've got, how they can best meet those needs, make 28 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 2: those decisions at a local level, and then get on 29 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 2: with delivering that work by moving resource around or making 30 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 2: things happen those decisions have been made, either regionally or nationally, 31 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 2: or being able to make decisions around the type of 32 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 2: staff that they need to employ, those decisions will now 33 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 2: sit much closer to the people actually doing the work. 34 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: See last week I read a very uplifting story Hawks 35 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: by waiting times down seventy four percent, That would appear 36 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: to me to be under the old system. Doesn't the 37 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: old system work just fine? If you're waiting times are 38 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: down seventy four percent, well. 39 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 2: That's a result of well, as a result of the 40 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 2: devolved decision making already been embedded. So that was that 41 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 2: was an investment and some new kit, some new MRI 42 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 2: and CT scanners that have been delivered, and then the 43 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 2: local district being able to actually run those longer with 44 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 2: weekend shifts and evening shifts to get more people being 45 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 2: able to be seen. So as this is being rolled 46 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 2: out and it'll be fully rolled out by the first 47 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: of July. Those the types of examples that we're going 48 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 2: to see more of because local leaders will be making 49 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 2: decisions with their stuff to be able to get things 50 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 2: done quickly and patients being seen sooner. 51 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: Also announced this morning this twenty five million for winter 52 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: and it involves more beds. I mean, is that an 53 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: admission we don't have enough beds or are we just 54 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,080 Speaker 1: getting sick of every time winter comes round. 55 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 2: We have an aging population and we also have a 56 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 2: growing population, and so demand and demand is always higher 57 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 2: in winter with winter illnesses. It's critically important that we 58 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 2: are prepared. So this investment is into more staff, more beds, 59 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,959 Speaker 2: also step down facilities at patients who who are older 60 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:07,959 Speaker 2: can instead of blocking up hospital beds, can be going 61 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 2: into age residential care before going home again. It's about 62 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 2: making sure the hospitals flow so that patients can be 63 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 2: seen faster. It's part of our target to reduce waiting 64 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 2: times in our urgency departments. 65 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: I won't give you the full details, but I've been 66 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: sort of loosely involved with a person who's been in 67 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: the hospital system for a couple of weeks, and I 68 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: just cannot speak highly enough with the service that was delivered. 69 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: I mean, it is world class. And so what I 70 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: hear on the headlines in the news is it's all 71 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: crap and it's all broken and it's a bust. And 72 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: yet what I dealt with is the exact opposite. How 73 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: much of what we hear is actually it's d carnage 74 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: and ed and that's really where the choke point and 75 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: the problem is. And actually the system doesn't work that 76 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: badly at all. 77 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 2: Well, I think the reality is for the vast majority 78 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 2: of New Zealanders needing care, they are, they see the 79 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 2: staff work incredibly hard, and they get the care that 80 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 2: they need. Ultimately, there are challenges in our health system. 81 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 2: We have to continue to address those. Our emergency departments 82 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 2: are certainly under a lot of strain, as well as 83 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 2: significant waitlists that we've still we're still working through that 84 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 2: are built up under the previous government. So yes, there 85 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 2: are challenges. By and large, people who need care are 86 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,799 Speaker 2: getting the care that they need, and we're incredibly grateful 87 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 2: for the frontline doctors, nurses, and health workers who do 88 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 2: that on a day and day out basis and around 89 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 2: the clock in our hospitals for New Zealanders needing the 90 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 2: care that they need. 91 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: Good Right Health Minister Simming and Brown with us this 92 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: morning for more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, Listen live 93 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: to news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or 94 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.