Health Headlines - September 2009Back to the future |
Publish date:
With the release of the much awaited Ministerial Review Group (MRG) report it is fair to say a new direction for the health sector has clearly been identified. As a result, significant change in the sector is inevitable. So, I challenge you to be proactive in your response to this change. If you’re reactive you will be left behind.
Since the report was released, we have been talking with a number of you to gauge the industry mood to the proposed changes and how they will impact your organisations and sector.
Does it feel like ground hog day? Many of the recommendations hark back to the centralised structures of the mid 1990s. Yes, these structures enable a move toward standardisation of policy, levels of service and commonality of processes. And by reducing variation, the sector can monitor and compare the effectiveness and efficiency of outputs and outcomes and hold people accountable for performance.
From models of care, to materials procurement, - from selection of technologies, to consolidation of back office processes.
The resulting economies of scale and implementation of best of breed technologies will save precious resources which can be better deployed at the front line of health care delivery.
However, a word of warning. Innovation happens at the fringes not at the centre. We must not lose our learnings but find ways to capture, test, and roll out innovations that enhance service and/or reduce the cost to serve. It is unreasonable to expect one model to be able to be adopted by all of the countries DHB’s as they all have such diverse characteristics and population needs. Instead, we should learn from the UK by adapting the national model to take into account the characteristics of the different districts and populations. Likewise, we commonly find “one size” does not fit all. The solutions which will be successful in metropolitan Auckland may not best serve the West Coast of the South Island.
In this issue we will talk about the MRG report and other trends, challenges, and innovations, that may directly affect your organisations. There is also an update on the changing needs of consumers and the importance of protecting patient information.
We are always interested to hear what issues, challenges and opportunities you are facing and what the wider stakeholder group thinks about these topics. Please feel free to contact us or be a part of one of the discussion forums hosted by the Deloitte Health team.
We hope you will find this issue thought provoking and useful, as we go “back to the future” to move the sector forward.
Kind Regards,
Graham Naylor
National Health Sector Leader
In this issue:
- Ground Hog Day - Report of the Ministerial Review Group
- Are your records secure?
- Are you providing health consumers with what they want?
Health Headline - September 2009
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