Update from Chief Executives Riana Manuel and Fepulea’i Margie Apa
Tēnā koutou e ngā kaimahi,
Thank you all again for the work you are doing at this time. No one understands the toll the pandemic has had on our communities and whānau better than you – you are part of communities and whānau that are impacted. We are grateful for your exemplary service.
As Omicron surges down the country, each district is at a different stage of their curve. DHB chief executives have initiated a process to plan ahead and learn from these past few months so we can continuously build resilience into our districts and regions. In this note we want to set out the next steps for change.
New structures
Our current focus is on getting the right team around us and working through the structure of the Māori Health Authority and Health New Zealand, as well as our regional presence and identities.
We are less than two weeks away from releasing information on how we will organise our functions and recruiting for the first wave of leadership roles to work with us in this transition. We are also establishing national working groups to engage our teams in how parts of our operating model will work so we get the best of our experience and expertise involved. You can expect to see these roles advertised over the next few weeks. This means we can hit the ground running from day one with the people in place to make key decisions early on.
DHB chief executive roles
As the only people directly impacted in the reform, Boards will be reaching the end of their terms by 30 June and district health board chief executives received formal notification this week that their roles will be disestablished on 1 July. Chief executives also have an offer to extend to the end of September 2022 to provide us with leadership support during the transition.
We want to acknowledge and thank our CEO colleagues for the role they have played in the healthcare system – many have served their communities and been in our system for decades. We know first-hand that they come to this mahi with a fierce passion to improve health for their local communities.
Some of you may be aware that DHB CEOs not only lead their own organisations. They also work regionally and most lead a national workstream, giving up time to support our system as a whole. Collaboration is against our current design – DHBs ‘top-slice’ local funding to support any collaborative activity and so it is a real sacrifice to work across our boundaries. This is a feature that we aim to address in the new Health New Zealand and Māori Health Authority organisations.
We especially want to acknowledge Kathryn Cook of Midcentral DHB who will be moving on from 1 July to spend time with her family. Thank you to Dr Jeff Brown who will be Acting CEO from 1 July.
Your job
We know you’ll be wondering what this means for you. Your employment agreement and current terms and conditions will roll over on 1 July and we aim to seamlessly transition all our current functions and people into the new Health New Zealand and Māori Health Authority organisations by then. This means that by 1 July, you will know who your line manager or clinical leader will be. For most of you, this will be the same person you report to today.
What will change is the way we work to do better for our patients, their whānau and communities. We want to harness your ideas and experience. Through your leaders, we’re relying on you to tell us the opportunities you see to tackle longstanding equity challenges and where things are working well. We will act quickly to strengthen this work and share it across the system.
Your strength, commitment and passion for the health and wellbeing of our nation is not something we take for granted – just as you bring the best to your mahi, it inspires us to bring our best as we continue to scope and shape the transformation we all know is needed for our health system.
Tātou o Ngāti Hauora, tēnā ki te hoe!
Fepulea’i Margie Apa Riana Manuel
Interim Chief Executive Interim Chief Executive
Health New Zealand Māori Health Authority
|
|
Transferring some functions from the Ministry of Health to iHNZ and iMHA
It’s more important than ever that, come 1 July, we continue to deliver a high standard of care to New Zealanders without disruption.
As part of the system reforms, some of the functions that belonged to the Ministry of Health transfer to Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority. To make sure we have a standing start on day one, some of these functions are transitioning before then.
Earlier this month, the first group of functions transferred from the Ministry. This included around 250 people working in health infrastructure, capital and investment management, Pacific health commissioning, DHB performance and support, data and digital, and Māori health service improvement.
We’re expecting the next groups of people to transfer across in May.
While our new structures are being developed between now and 1 July – and will evolve beyond – we remain focused on maintaining business continuity and system stability. And, of course, making sure we can keep responding to COVID-19 outbreaks and other situations that may emerge.
|
|
|
|
|
Riana and Margie share a laugh with Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, during an online mihi whakatau to welcome the people transferring from the Ministry to iMHA and iHNZ.
|
|
Investment in Hauora Māori
15 March saw an important milestone for improving health outcomes for Māori and lifting the voice of whānau Māori across the system.
An investment of $22 million will see the Māori Health Authority commission and expand Te Ao Māori solutions and services. This is part of a broader package of investment planned over the coming years to drive the influence of Hauora Māori throughout health.
The Māori Health Authority will work with Iwi and Māori providers to deliver the budget activities over the coming months, ahead of 30 June. Specific areas to be funded include:
- $3 million for mātauranga Māori initiatives and services
- $6 million to support Māori providers within innovation and sustainability
- $5 million to support kaupapa Māori approaches to population health
- $2 million to expand existing rongoā Māori services
- $2 million to support further development of the Māori workforce
A further $3.2 million has been allocated by the Māori Health Authority and the Māori Health Directorate of the Ministry of Health to supporting the establishment of Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards this year.
More people, and not just Māori, will be able to choose to get support through a kaupapa Māori service, if that’s what works best for them. And those services will be connected with other services delivered by providers such as social services, in a Te Ao Māori way.
Non-Māori are already choosing to access Māori health services, recognising the value that comes with doing things differently. If we achieve a system that works better for Māori, we’ll have a better system for everyone in New Zealand.
The influence of the Māori Health Authority stretches beyond directly commissioning Māori health services.
Interim Director Service Development and Relations Mara Andrews says, “Because the MHA will also co-commission services with Health New Zealand, we’ll also have ‘eyes’ on all of HNZ’s commissioning activity, whether that’s with Māori or non-Māori providers. We can provide comment, leadership, advice and direction to HNZ on their commissioning from a Hauora Māori perspective. We are already working like this together, even in our interim environment and putting our heads together to look at how we can transform the way services are provided and delivered for Māori”.
“This investment is an opportunity to build on the important mahi already underway to in the health system. There’s a way to go, but it’s the start of our ability as a newly-established organisation to influence the system so it supports better outcomes for our people. We have some great team members working in all areas and driving change, which is really exciting for the near future,” says Ms Andrews.
|
|
Procurement and Supply Chain Project update
In December’s issue, we outlined the work underway to develop a simplified and integrated model for procurement and supply chain. The team has made significant progress.
The transformation of the health system gives us the opportunity to streamline and improve the way we procure and supply equipment, products and services.
A team of subject matter experts* from the sector have been working through ways to make it easier to navigate the procurement (sourcing and investing) and supply chain activities that support our front-line service providers. This includes removing duplication and inconsistency and promoting equitable outcomes for all New Zealanders.
The management of these activities will be led from the centre and delivered nationally, regionally, and locally. As well as allowing us to work seamlessly across the country, this approach will simplify the way we buy what the system needs and get it to where it needs to be. That means it will be easier to see who needs it, who must approve it, and how. It will improve cost effectiveness and access to the procurement system, and we’ll be able to work more collaboratively with experts in the system.
Having developed a high-level operating model (ways of working), the project is now focused on delivering the plan for how it will actually work (a detailed operating model design.)
One of the issues being addressed is the current lack of focus on equity and our Te Tiriti obligations. This not only contributes to health inequities, but has also meant barriers to participation by Māori, Pasifika and other equity partners, in procurement and supply chain activities and supply.
Another area of focus is the fragmented approach to systems, policies and procedures across the different regions. A more joined-up approach will mean a well-integrated system that has the resilience to respond to unexpected or evolving challenges. We’ll build public confidence by having more transparency of the decisions we make.
A third issue we’re addressing is the need to work more closely with clinicians in designing the best way to buy and manage supply of the things we need.
Next steps
- A dedicated project team is being established for the next phase
- A revamped steering group will oversee the development of the detailed operating model
- Eight 12-month fixed-term Day One National Procurement and Supply Chain Team positions are being established. These include the Interim Director for Procurement and Supply Chain, with most of the other appointments being project focused.
- The project team will continue to make sure the decisions being made now will support the aspirations of the health reforms and the future direction of both Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with Roger Jarrold, Project Lead or Wendy McEwan, Project Co-Lead / Operations Manager Sector Support and Infrastructure.
*You can find the names of the subject matter experts in the December 2021 issue of the People Pānui here.
|
|
|
New interim agency websites
The new websites for the Māori Health Authority and Health New Zealand are up and running.
Although the temporary websites are placeholders until 1 July, they do serve an important purpose. This is where the interim entities will share job vacancies, press releases and other information specific to their organisation.
Please note that the URLs will change from 1 July, when the interim organisations become permanent and adopt their new names, and the permanent websites are live.
We’ll continue to keep the Future of Health website (FutureofHealth.govt.nz) up to date with news and information on the health reforms.
|
|
|
Meeting with representatives from the PSA Deaf and Disabled Network Committee, the Health Reform Transition Unit, interim Health New Zealand and the
interim Māori Health Authority held last month.
|
|
|
Meeting with representatives from the PSA Pasefika Network and the
Health Reform Transition Unit held last month.
|
|
In case you missed it!
Our last People Pānui was a special video edition featuring interviews with Riana Manuel, Chief Executive interim Māori Health Authority, and Fepulea’i Margie Apa, Chief Executive Health New Zealand. You can watch these on the Future of Health website in full or as short segments. Transcripts and captions are also provided in English and Te Reo Māori.
Watch the CE videos
|
|
Get People Pānui direct to your inbox
 Visit the ‘For the health sector’ page on the Future of Health website to sign up to get People Pānui emailed to you (look for the sign-up link on the right-hand side of the page).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
