Barbara Edmonds,MP for Mana, and Associate Minister Of Health, is promising urgent action to get operations for everyone whos been waiting 12 months.

KIN has personal knowledge of local people who have had their lives disrupted completely while waiting for help.

One local Mother says her family life has been put on hold for two years while her husband, now unemployed, waits for two surgical procedures.

Recently their daughter asked: ‘Why doesn’t Daddy play with me or read to me like he used to?’

Now MP Barbara Edmonds has detailed for KIN what she is doing:

‘All regions are working to book patients who have been waiting longer than 12 months, and $89 million has been made available to support delivering treatment for these patients who have been waiting longer than they should for treatment. 

‘Part of your concerns have been transferred to Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand to respond to you directly.  

‘In August 2022, The Planned Care Taskforce, which was asked to develop a comprehensive set of recommendations on how to improve access and reduce wait times for patients, handed over its recommendations through a plan titled Reset and Restore Plan to Te Whatu Ora to implement.’

So far: 

·16 recommendations have implementation well underway (including a focus on long waits, improving data and analytics, and establishing governance and networks).

47 recommendations have planning and implementation underway (focused on primary and community care, theatre utilisation, outpatient management, clinical pathways, clinical prioritisation, care navigation). 

You can find more information on the Rest and Restore Plan here: 

www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/publications/planned-care-taskforce-reset-and-restore-plan/. 

A new theatre utilisation expert advisory group has been set up to improve the use of theatres over time through improved productivity, along with a Planned Care Oversight Group that consists of clinical leads, Te Aka Whai Ora – Māori Health Authority and Pacific health and regional directors and teams, along with Te Whatu Ora representatives to provide support and active management so progress is made. 

Using a regional approach to pool resources to outsource patients to public and private providers where possible and move teams between sites to make the best use of available theatre and workforce capacity is also underway along with engaging with the private sector to explore opportunities to increase capacity where possible through existing contracts. 

All regions are working to book patients who have been waiting longer than 12 months and $89 million has been made available to support delivering treatment for these patients who have been waiting longer than they should for treatment. Thank you again for writing.

‘I hope this information is useful, and I wish you well. la manuia.’