Introduction from the Director-General - Statement of Intent 2008-11

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Statement of Intent 2008-11
Introduction from the Director-General

The Ministry of Health continues to evolve and change as we deliver on the key findings of the 2006 Review of the Current State of the Ministry of Health. We have reorganised how we are structured and how we work with the health and disability sector. We have strengthened our leadership capability, and we are taking a wider whole-of-system approach with a strengthened focus on improving Maori health and reducing health inequalities and how implementation of key strategies are undertaken.

Important in this has been the creation of the Sector Capability and Innovation Directorate to work with the sector to share learning and support programme delivery. We’ve also started the Long Term System Framework to foster better planning and co-ordination. We need a health system that anticipates changes, develops the right responses, and makes the best use of resources. Given the known pressures on the system, such as workforce shortages, an ageing population, increasing public expectations, and emerging technologies, this work is key.

We have a world class health system. On many measures we compare well internationally. A recent Commonwealth Fund study ranked us second only to Germany and ahead of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States overall in patient safety, effectiveness, patient centeredness, timeliness, efficiency and effectiveness (Cylus and Anderson 2007). We still face challenges, particularly in achieving a higher performing health system. On many national health indicators we have too great a variation in the performance and delivery by DHBs, hospitals and providers. Building our understanding of why these exist and what to do about them is an important part of our work.

Our Health Targets, agreed last year, are a mechanism for focusing performance improvements in the system, including reducing inequalities across population groups, and giving clear signals about the Minister’s and sector’s priorities.

These priorities give a focus for the system on areas where we know we can improve health outputs and outcomes. We know that long term conditions are the leading cause of illness. Diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer account for more than 80 percent of preventable deaths, and 70 percent of health funding (Ministry of Health 2007). They are also a leading driver of inequalities amongst different population groups. It is fitting that initiatives reducing the incidental harm from chronic conditions are given priority over other initiatives.

The Ministry of Health provides a range of important functions that maintain the core of a government’s essential functions in a modern health system. We are policy advisor, legislator, regulator and funder. We invest in a broad range of national services, such as the National Cervical Screening Programme, BreastScreen Aotearoa and newborn screening. The Ministry funds $371 million in public health services (including screening programmes) and $840 million of disability services. We also provide shared support services, such as the processing of HealthPAC payments (some 93 million transactions on behalf of the sector each year).

I want to acknowledge the Ministry’s staff for their continuing hard work and dedication to making a difference in health. The path we have embarked on allows us to better support the system as a whole and to provide the necessary leadership to achieve better health, fairer treatment and greater independence for all New Zealanders. This is a laudable aim. This Statement of Intent shows how we will take a further step towards making it real.

Stephen McKernan
Director-General of Health

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