Progress continues across all five health targets

More New Zealanders are being seen and treated sooner across the health system, with the latest results showing continued improvement across all five Government health targets year-on-year, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

"The Government's focus is on shorter wait times for Kiwis, and these results show the system is continuing to move in the right direction,” Mr Brown says.

“More people are being seen sooner, more treatments are being delivered, and the elective waitlist is reducing. That’s real progress, with a clear, meaningful impact for patients and their families.”

Key improvements for the January to March quarter compared to the same quarter in the previous year include:

Shorter waits for elective treatment: 64.9 per cent treated within four months, up from 57.3 per cent in the same quarter last year
Shorter waits for first specialist assessment: 61.2 per cent seen within four months, up from 58.2 per cent in the same quarter last year
Improved childhood immunisation: 83.5 per cent of children fully immunised at 24 months, up from 79.3 per cent in the same quarter last year
Shorter stays in emergency departments: 74.4 per cent of patients admitted, discharged, or transferred within six hours, up from 74.2 per cent in the same quarter last year
Faster cancer treatment: 86.2 per cent of patients receiving cancer treatment within 31 days of decision to treat, up from 84.6 per cent in the same quarter last year

"These results reflect steady progress across planned care, cancer services, and prevention, and show what happens when the system is focused on delivery with patients at the centre.

“Every percentage point represents real people who waited less and got care sooner."

The results also show continued growth in the volume of care delivered across the system:

178,349 first specialist assessments were completed, up 7 per cent on the same quarter last year (167,069)
51,089 people were treated from the elective waitlist, up 5.5 per cent on the same quarter last year (48,389)
4,793 people received their first cancer treatment, up from 4,364 in the same quarter last year
11,947 children were fully immunised at 24 months, up from 11,359 in the same quarter last year

“While there’s more work to do, this progress shows the system is heading in the right direction.

“The Government’s five health targets are designed to drive accountability and keep the system focused on what matters most: patients. These results show that our plan to fix the basics and build the future of our health system is working, delivering better, faster care for all New Zealanders.” ...