Waiting lists are said to be dropping but there is no new data to prove it. Photo / File
Waiting lists are said to be dropping but there is no new data to prove it. Photo / File
Voters won’t be getting any updated information about health system waiting lists before the election - leaving Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall “disappointed”.
Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand’s inability to get data out faster is contrary to the wishes of Verrall, who told the Herald this week shewanted fresh data out before October 14 so voters could see improvements in the health system.
Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand has just published its timetable for providing the public with the most up-to-date snapshot of the system It is expecting to publish the newest health data - up to June 30 - on October 31.
Verrall told the Herald: “I’m disappointed the data can’t be shared sooner because I want to show the progress we’ve made, particularly in planned care statistics.
”However, Te Whatu Ora has responsibility for that process and ultimately it’s up to them when the data is released. I’d stress that it’s very important the data is accurate, so we can track progress.”
It means those looking to cast their votes on the state of the health system will have seven-month-old data to work with.
Minutes from the board of Te Whatu Ora show that publicly reporting the state of the system was discussed in the months after its formation.
The minutes show the board anticipating that national waiting list figures, broken down by region, would be reported monthly and be current.
It managed one data drop at the end of 2022 without drama but its next release contained inaccurate information then released by Verrall’s office.
The resulting inquiry found huge gaps in Te Whatu Ora’s ability to gather and report accurate data - and that staff knew this before the errors were revealed but didn’t speak up.
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The inquiry report was published last month at the same time as snapshot data showing the extent of waiting lists on March 31 2023.
Verrall told the Herald earlier this week work in the health system had brought waiting list numbers down and there was now no one waiting more than a year for an operation at Auckland hospital.
She said: “Te Whatu Ora needs to name a date that they will publish their data. I certainly hope we are able to share more of our data between here and the election.
“I want to be able to show the story of improvements particularly in planned care (elective) statistics that we’ve been working very hard on but Te Whatu Ora has responsibility for that process and I’d seek them to be clear about what they would do.”
Te Whatu Ora today said the October 31 release date was a reflection of “important process steps” that needed to be taken including making changes recommended by the data inquiry.
Te Whatu Ora said it needed to improve how it collected data and how it processed and checked data.
“The time required to run those processes robustly dictates when data can be released.”
The data that would be released publicly would be collected by September 22, checked over the following month before being released on October 31.
Te Whatu Ora said it was “consistent with past practice” but it would seek to shorten the time in future “through streamlined data processes as a single organisation and improved automation”.
Verrall said there was no one waiting more than a year in Auckland and that waiting lists across the country were now under three years.
The most recent detailed figures were released in March 2023 and showed those waiting more than a year for elective surgery had soared during 2022 from 2487 in January to 6003 in December.
By December, five regions carried 51 per cent of the year-plus waiting list with 3087 people waiting more than a year for surgery in Northland, Taranaki, Manawatū, Hutt Valley and Southland.
The latest figures published in mid-July provided no data for January or February but show in March the number of people waiting more than a year had dropped to 4857. Those five leading regions had 2193 people waiting more than a year - 45 per cent of the waiting list.
Auckland hospital was under less pressure than most others, with its year-plus waiting list for elective surgery peaking at 467 people in July 2022 and down to 185 people in March this year.
