Intensive Care Services in New Zealand

Intensive Care Services in New Zealand

Date of publication: June 2005
HP 4140

Intensive care clinical advisory group

The report from the intensive care clinical advisory group to the Deputy Director-General, Clinical Services, makes recommendations on a framework for intensive care services in New Zealand. It proposes actions and identifies areas where further work needs to be carried out.

The intensive care clinical advisory group was convened by the Ministry of Health after issues about intensive care services were raised by senior clinicians and the Health and Disability Commissioner. Six meetings were held between November 2001 and July 2002. A draft document was developed and circulated to clinical groups for feedback during 2002/03. The document was then finalised, presented to the Ministry and forwarded to DHBs in February 2004.

The clinical advisory group identified six key areas on which to make recommendations:

Definitions

The difference between intensive care units (ICUs) and high dependency units (HDUs).

Standards

Nationally consistent standards to guide service inputs and processes.

Service organisation

The capacity and configuration of services and network relations between units.

Data collection

The data needed for resource and workforce planning and quality assessment.

Quality improvement

Activities to assure safe and effective clinical practice and processes within units.

Recruitment and retention

Strategies for training, recruiting and retaining the appropriate numbers and skill mix of medical and nursing staff.

The completed document represents the expert advice of intensive care clinicians, and is not official Ministry of Health policy. It should be considered a resource to help guide future thinking on intensive care services by the Ministry, DHBs and other stakeholders.

Document availability

This document is available in PDF formats and Word formats below.

Intensive Care Services in New Zealand (Word, 126 kB)
Intensive Care Services in New Zealand (PDF, 265 kB)

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Intensive Care in New Zealand