18/ 8/ 1998 Hon Bill English Compelling Evidence in Booking System Report

Health Minister Bill English said today the first baseline report on the implementation of the Booking System provided compelling evidence of why the waiting list system had to change.

"The harder we look at the waiting list figures the clearer it is that the system has failed to deliver what New Zealanders expect and deserve from elective surgery.

"The most striking and disturbing finding from the report is the number of people waiting for first assessments. This has never been known before because the waiting list system allowed problems to be hidden away.

"According to the report 96,000 people are waiting for a first assessment, which is more than the entire number of people on the old waiting list. I am most concerned about this number, which seems extraordinarily high.

"However, already the work on implementing the Booking System has involved some excellent work on developing referral guidelines for general practitioners, which mean more decisions are able to be made when patients see their GP. Some of the answer to the problem of first assessments is going to be found in the more extensive use of these guidelines and I expect to see them widely implemented as soon as possible.

"But it is clear that the waiting list system has been run to suit the hospitals, not the patient. This report is the beginning of a more open and transparent system and is the result of the work done implementing the Booking System. I am more determined than ever to see the Booking System in place," he said.

Mr English said the report was the picture as at 1 July 1998 and it gave the baseline position to compare future quarterly reports.

"The positive news from the report is that many hospitals have made significant progress in implementing booking systems, although there are significant differences between hospitals and between regions. By 1 July 52 percent of patients had been assessed and scored. Eight thousand people had been identified as falling below the clinically acceptable thresholds for surgery and would come off the waiting lists.

"The data is not fully complete, but this is the first time we have had any kind of definitive, evidence-based picture of what is happening with elective surgery as well as where we are up to with implementing the Booking System.

"The Booking System in itself won't deliver more surgery, but it will mean greater fairness about who gets surgery and certainty about when patients get surgery. More surgery will require more money and I have always said I am keeping an open mind about this. I am not prepared to put money in until I can be confident that patients and the public will be able to see what they are getting out of it.

"Getting the Booking System and a comprehensive reporting system in place is imperative. This report marks the beginning of a much more transparent, accountable and responsive system. I expect the first quarterly report, as at 30 September, will show significantly more work has been completed. It should also provide a clearer picture of the number of people waiting for first assessments because a number of hospitals are not confident about their information to date.

"Hospitals are having to fundamentally change the way they organise elective surgery and the challenges inherent in doing this should not be underestimated. It is taking time to get assessment criteria finalised, referral guidelines prepared, people assessed, and bookings made, but this work is leading to a much fairer and more certain system for everyone faced with needing elective surgery," said Mr English.