- Hon Simeon Brown
Patients across Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Nelson Marlborough, and the West Coast are seeing faster access to care, the latest health results show, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
"Healthcare performance in the South Island is turning a corner. Our focus remains on putting patients first and making sure more people get access to timely, quality healthcare," Mr Brown says.
These quarterly results mark the first annual milestone toward our 2030 targets. Key improvements in the South Island from April to June include:
- Faster cancer treatment: 83.7% of cancer patients starting treatment within 31 days, with Nelson Marlborough up 4.9 percentage points, West Coast up 8, and Southern up 1.5 from the previous quarter.
- Childhood immunisations: 87.4% of children fully immunised by age two, with West Coast up 4.6 percentage points and Southern up 1.6 from the previous quarter.
- Shorter stays in emergency departments: 78.9% of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged from emergency departments within six hours, with Canterbury up 8 percentage points and West Coast up 17.7 from the same time last year, despite increased attendances.
Waitlists for elective procedures and first specialist assessments (FSAs) are also improving.
"In the last quarter alone, thousands more South Islanders received the care they needed - from hip and knee replacements to cardiology and cataract surgeries," Mr Brown says.
The latest figures show that in several districts, more patients are being seen within four months for FSAs and elective procedures compared to the previous quarter:
"These improvements mean more patients getting back to work, returning to everyday activities, and regaining their quality of life. We thank our doctors, nurses, and other frontline staff whose daily commitment makes this improvement possible.
"While progress is being made, too many people are still waiting too long. Our focus is on continuing to reduce waitlists, so more patients get the care they need.
"Backed by a record $30 billion annual investment into health, our Government is rebuilding the system around patients, holding it accountable for performance, and driving better outcomes."
