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The Ministry of Health is to work with experts and Diabetes New Zealand to recommend new ways to support people with diabetes.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has made the announcement following a review of the Diabetes Get Checked programme, which concluded the programme is not making any appreciable improvement for people with diabetes.

The Government will contribute $90 million towards phasing in the minimum wage for disability support workers on overnight sleepover shifts.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says "Cabinet this morning agreed to provide $90 million towards phasing in minimum wage rates by July 2013, and $27.5 million towards the back pay liabilities of the providers."

IHC and other providers are also putting in money.

"People with disabilities and their families can be assured that providing quality support remains a priority for this Government," says Mr Ryall.

State Services Minister Tony Ryall has today released the fifth six-monthly update on the government's cap on core government administration.

Latest figures from the State Services Commission show the number of full-time equivalent staff positions in the core government administration, as at 30 June 2011, was 36,475 which is 2,384 fewer than when the cap was set as at 31 December 2008.

The Government has approved $15 million for Canterbury District Health Board to relocate Christchurch Hospital's outpatients unit and the Acute Medical Assessment Unit.

Health Minister Tony Ryall said, "We have fast-tracked the approval for this work so that the facilities will be ready in time for the 2012 winter peak in demand.

"The DHB's earthquake recovery plan has identified a need to increase short to medium term medical bed capacity, and to pull most of the General Medicine services back on to one site.

The Government today issued more information about its Better Public Services programme, which is focused on delivering better frontline services in areas that matter most to New Zealanders.

The information includes officials’ papers canvassing the need to reduce decision points and clutter in the public service; better sourcing of goods and services; and opportunities to rationalise Crown entities, Finance Minister Bill English and State Services Minister Tony Ryall say.

School children at six Flaxmere schools will continue to have their throats swabbed whenever they get a sore throat as part of an extra $12 million of government funding to combat rheumatic fever.

The Hawkes Bay 'Say Ahh' programme is the first of eight newly funded services around the country which detect and prevent rheumatic fever.

The Government has today released its response to the Health Select Committee's Inquiry into improving New Zealand’s environment to support innovation through clinical trials.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says "The inquiry found the approvals process is robust but it can take months, sometimes years.

"Applicants need electronic filing, they want much tougher time limits and they need the ethics committees working in a more effective way."

A record 145,414 patients received elective surgery in the year ended July 2011 says Health Minister Tony Ryall.

Elective surgery operations include hip and other joint operations, cataracts and grommets amongst other important life improving surgeries.

“This means an extraordinary extra 27,000 patients a year are now benefiting from elective surgery compared with the numbers treated under the previous Government”, Mr Ryall says.

Health Minister Tony Ryall is today launching a new electronic health record which will give doctors instant access to the medical history of new patients.

Speaking to doctors at the Royal New Zealand College of GPs joint conference with General Practice New Zealand, Mr Ryall says, "The new GP2GP system will allow patients' GP records to be transferred electronically rather than faxed or posted in paper copy.

Health Minister Tony Ryall and Education Minister Anne Tolley have launched a partnership with the Universities of Auckland and Otago that will train more doctors and nurses and other health professionals at Gisborne and Whakatane Hospitals.

The partnership is part of a new $4.5 million programme to train health students in rural areas so that they will return to work in rural communities.

Health Minister Tony Ryall and Education Minister Anne Tolley have launched a partnership with the University of Auckland that will train more doctors and nurses and other health professionals at Whakatane Hospital.

The partnership is part of a new $4.5 million programme to train health students in rural areas so that they will return to work in rural communities.

Health Minister Tony Ryall today opened a new dialysis unit at Whakatane Hospital giving patients better access to this life sustaining treatment closer to home.

Mr Ryall said, 'This is part of the government's drive to have more health services delivered closer to patients, who will no longer have to travel to Tauranga up to three times a week.

The new six-station satellite renal unit will provide for between 6 and 12 patients per week, but has the ability to grow to meet the needs of up to 24 patients per week.

The national health target results for the final quarter of the 2010/11 year show record numbers of kiwi patients accessing elective surgery, among other improvements in key areas of the public health service.

Health Minister Tony Ryall released the quarterly results today and says, "DHBs delivered more than 145,000 elective surgery discharges in the last financial year, that's 26,000 more than only three years ago.

The Government has announced an $11 million partnership with the country's rest homes to further improve rest home care.

Health Minister Tony Ryall said new technology will be rolled out across rest homes to support regular, uniform, comprehensive clinical assessments of all residents.

From the moment they first move into a rest home, every resident will be assessed across 22 key aspects of their health. And this comprehensive assessment will be repeated at least every six months.

Good afternoon.  It is a pleasure to be here to address the New Zealand Aged Care Association conference and I would like to thank the Association for its invitation to speak to you.

Today I would like to thank you for all you’ve done following the Canterbury earthquakes, clinical integration and the launch of comprehensive clinical assessments for all residents.

Christchurch

Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced appointments and a reappointment to health sector boards.

Mr Ian Ward has been appointed as a member of the New Zealand Blood Service Board, replacing Mrs Anne Urlwin, who recently completed two terms on the board.

Professor Ann Richardson has been appointed to the board of the Health Research Council, and Professor Linda Smith has been reappointed.

Professor Richardson is replacing Professor Richie Poulton, who has served two terms on the board.

Parliamentary Colleagues
Dr Virginia Hope – Chair of Hutt Valley DHB
Keriata Stuart, Chair of the Maori Partnership Board
Graham Dyer, CEO
Peter Glensor, former Chair, current Board member
Staff and ladies and Gentlemen

Thank you for inviting me here to celebrate this important development for the people of the Hutt Valley.

What we are celebrating this morning is:

Health Minister Tony Ryall says over 100,000 four year olds have now had a B4 School health check, and he is hearing reports of life-changing outcomes for children and their families.

“The B4 School Check is really an opportunity for a stock take – to see exactly where a child is at, physically, emotionally and socially.

“Children are having eyesight problems identified and are seeing clearly for the first time. Others are being helped to hear better, or to work through behavioural issues.”

Health Minister Tony Ryall says the old Napier Hospital site, on the market since 2006, has finally been sold. The proceeds will help Hawke's Bay District Health Board build a new mental health unit for the people of Hawke's Bay.

Mr Ryall says Todd Property Group has bought the hospital site for an undisclosed sum. In a related transaction TPG has sold land at Ngunguru Spit in Northland to the Department of Conservation and is using the proceeds of that sale to purchase the Napier Hospital site.

Good afternoon and welcome to launch of a New Approach for Supporting People with Disabilities through Local Area Coordination.

This is a very significant step in improving services for people with disabilities, and fulfils an election commitment made by the National Party in 2008. 

This new approach is about supporting people to take control of their lives with the freedom to choose how they live. It’s about giving people more say about how they spend the resources the taxpayers make available to assist them and their families.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has today launched a new initiative in Tauranga designed to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

'"Local Area Coordination" is being set up to help disabled people have more control over what support they get. Instead of telling disabled people what support they'll get, and from whom, our new approach offers people choice through an individual budget,' Mr Ryall says.

"The disabled person gets to choose how their budget is spent.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced the appointment of Sandra Cook of Otautau, Southland to the Southern District Health Board.

Ms Cook's appointment commences on 25 August 2011.

She has significant local health governance experience, having served on the Takitimu Primary Health Organisation (PHO) in Southland and on the PHO Community Council, and has strong links to Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu.

Ms Cook's PHO board governance experience and involvement in local community projects means she is familiar with current regional health issues.

Good afternoon.  Thank you for inviting me to open the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Royal College of Surgeons here in Queenstown.

First up, thank you for the great work you and your teams have done to produce yet another year of record elective surgery in 2010/11. This has meant more people getting vitally needed surgery faster. More patients than ever before are being treated, sooner.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced five new members of the National Health Committee.

The new members of the Committee are:
• Craig Climo, the Chief Executive Officer of Waikato DHB
• Ross Laidlaw, a retired lawyer and businessman from Wanaka
• Sharon Mariu, a businesswoman and member of the Waikato DHB
• Dr Mark O’Carroll, a respiratory physician from Auckland
• Alex Price, the Chief Executive of Fertility Associates.