An integrated approach to tackling New Zealand’s healthcare needs

Most Kiwis are concerned about the quality of health care in this country. And they have every right to be. Our healthcare system is struggling and that impacts all of us. A 90,000-signature petition has been presented to Parliament and surveys show that healthcare is consistently the second biggest concern for New Zealanders after the cost of living.

We have to do better. To deliver the best possible outcomes for New Zealanders, the many parts of our highly complex health system need to be aligned, collaborating and working efficiently. Private hospitals are already making an essential contribution and have the capacity to offer even more.

Private hospitals and clinics have been an essential part of New Zealand’s health system for more than 100 years and are located across the country, from Whangarei to Invercargill. Private hospitals are not just for the insured or self-funding patient, and they are much more than a ‘back-stop’ for public hospitals when they get overwhelmed. They need to be part of a fully integrated approach to long-term healthcare planning across New Zealand.

In some respects, this integration is long established. New Zealand’s Accident Compensation scheme would not function without private hospitals. More than 90% of ACC funded surgery is performed in private facilities, because it is the most cost-efficient way of getting injured people the treatment they need.

The patients seen at private hospitals who are funded by insurance or are self-funded reduce the burden on the public health sector, with its resource and financial constraints. Every patient treated in a private hospital frees up critical resources for a patient to be seen in the public system.

Public surgery waiting lists can also be managed and reduced by utilising private hospitals. Currently, around 20% of patients on a public waiting list get their elective surgery in a private facility. These facilities can work effectively with Health New Zealand to provide the care patients need in a timely manner. However, the process has always been highly variable, with different regional approaches and sudden changes month to month, even week to week. The longer-term arrangements now being discussed would provide more certainty, assist in reducing and keeping down waiting times for elective surgery, and free up public hospital operating theatres for acute and major surgeries.

Private hospitals and clinics do not manage emergency cases meaning that care can be planned without disruption. In contrast, someone waiting for elective surgery at a public hospital may wait for a year or more, and have their procedure delayed (sometimes several times) as the hospital correctly prioritises acute and emergency services. The person’s condition, pain and distress are exacerbated by the delay, they may not be able to work and, along with their family, can face considerable personal hardship.

Utilising the capacity of the private sector is a timely, cost-effective, and patient-focused solution. Once selected for treatment in a private facility, the patient will usually be operated on within 20 days and will receive the highest level of care.

Private hospitals currently provide two thirds of all elective surgical care in New Zealand. Demand for the services of private surgical hospitals has been increasing and investments are being made in assets and people to respond to this demand.

Without a doubt, we also need more investment in our public hospitals, which have suffered from decades of under investment. But we also need to get beyond ideology and accept that the state has never been able to directly deliver all the healthcare Kiwis need. The person needing treatment must be put first. Achieving the best outcomes for the patient by providing timely and quality care must be the priority.

Private surgical hospitals are essential partners in future healthcare planning. New Zealand needs a balanced, efficient healthcare system where public and private providers work together to address the needs of all New Zealanders.