Attributable to Margie Apa, Chief Executive of Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has today published its Quarterly Performance Report for Quarter 1, covering the period 1 July to 30 September 2024.
1 July 2024 marked the commencement of the five health targets and five mental health and addiction targets, with the first quarterly results released last week.
While there is still significant work to do, we made pleasing progress on two of these targets – shorter stays in emergency departments and shorter wait times for elective treatment – with performance remaining relatively stable compared to the same quarter last year.
We also saw some positive achievements in other areas. Highlights from the quarter include:
- Ambulatory sensitive hospitalisation rates for children 0-4 years reduced, meaning fewer children were admitted to hospital with preventable illnesses. This is notable, given this was during the winter quarter.
- Newborn enrolment in general practice continued to increase, which should help to improve childhood immunisation rates.
- Screening coverage for cervical and breast cancers improved, contributed to by increased education and community-based events.
Despite these positive developments, the quarter further emphasised challenges in key areas:
- Immunisation rates for children at 24 months fell. This is a key area of focus for Health NZ, and we are working closely with our community-based providers to make it easier for families to access vaccinations and ensure children receive their full vaccinations by 24-months-old.
- There was a reduction in the percentage of people being seen in less than four months for a first specialist assessment compared with the same time last year. Despite this, the expected seasonal reduction in the winter months was significantly less than we saw last year, and we provided more care than ever before. During the quarter, approximately 12,000 more New Zealanders attended a first specialist assessment than the same period last year.
- There was a notable increase in the number of pertussis (whooping cough) cases.
- Our financial position remains challenging. We are currently working through an organisation-wide reset.
Health NZ is committed to addressing these challenges and delivering on the ten targets.
I take this opportunity to thank the many teams in health that provide care to their patients, whānau, and community, including those employed by Health NZ, the funded sector we work with, and the many suppliers of goods and services who support the delivery of healthcare.