Most health boards cull waiting lists

Most of the country's district health boards have successfully culled their waiting lists and met the target of patients waiting no longer than six months for elective surgery.

After months of upheaval as boards scrambled to meet new requirements, under threat of funding cuts, only two are unlikely to meet the Ministry of Health's deadline today.

About 20,000 people across the country are believed to have been dropped from waiting lists. In Canterbury, more than 5000 patients were sent back to their GPs.

The ministry's chief medical adviser, Dr David Geddis, said only two boards were unlikely to meet the deadline. Tairawhiti had indicated it would be late by a month, while Hutt Valley had agreed to be compliant by the end of December.

Hutt chief executive Chai Chuah told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report that it would not dump people off the list as it wanted to honour its obligations to patients.

Auckland District Health Board is not sending patients back to GPs, but is shifting 954 people from its surgical waiting list to an "active review" list.

Acting chief medical officer Dr David Knight said those patients would get treatment "within the foreseeable future".

"As far as ADHB patients are concerned, the board took a clear decision that it didn't want to send any patients back, and it's provided extra resources to get through the cases."

Dr Knight said Auckland was also sending 770 ophthalmology patients back to the Waitemata health board at that board's request.

Waitemata District Health Board chief executive Dwayne Crombie said it was sending 800 patients across all surgical areas back to their GP and was still working on the outcome for around 100 ophthalmology patients.

"It has been a challenge trying to make the policy work, but I think we've got there."

Waikato board spokesman Philip Renner said it had spent three months telling patients they would get their surgery within six months. The number removed from the waiting list had been negligible, he said.

National's associate health spokesman Dr Jonathan Coleman said the move was simply going to create an extra burden on GPs.

"It's just a charade - people's health problems don't go away just because the minister kicks them off the waiting list."

In the past few months, specialist appointments at Auckland have been increased, with clinic sizes enlarged and extra clinics put on.

Dr Knight said 814 extra patients had been seen, mainly in the extra clinics, but some were referred to private providers for their first specialist appointments.

COUNTDOWNS

Auckland

The district health board says no one will be bumped from the waiting list. Instead 954 patients will be moved to "active review". While these patients have no clear date for surgery, the health board is confident they can be treated "within the foreseeable future". Some 700 ophthalmology patients who live in the Waitemata catchment which it treats are being sent back to their health board.

Waitemata

About 800 patients dropped. The treatment of another 100 ophthalmology patients has not been finalised.

Counties Manukau

The only board to be compliant when the ministry issued its directive, so no patients are affected.

Hutt Valley

The board refuses to dump people off waiting list, so will not be complying with the ministry's directive. It has indicated that it will be compliant in December.