Health NZ commissioner promises reset plans, shorter wait times soon

Wednesday, 4 December 2024

Health Commissioner Professor Lester Levy says he will make a “serious dent” in patient wait times in two years.

Health New Zealand Commissioner Lester Levy is promising to reveal his plans on how he intends to reset the public health system following MPs’ ire over job cuts, late documents and veiled transparency.

But as with many things, Levy wouldn’t put a timeframe on when the plan would be released and has previously refused to release reset plans to The Post, requested through the Official Information Act.

However he did give the agency a two-year deadline for making a “serious dent” in patient waiting times.

Levy faced a six-hour, at times tense, grilling from the health select committee on Wednesday alongside Health NZ - Te Whatu Ora chief executive Margie Apa and other senior leaders.

An excerpt from Health NZ Commissioner Lester Levy's draft turnaround reset plan dated Sept 1 and leaked to The Post. The 97-page powerpoint was written by Levy intended to inform the final Health Reset Plan, but the agency has refused to release it in full.

They were challenged on everything from regional infrastructure to the language leaders were using over the hundreds of staff facing redundancy as the commissioner claws the agency back from what’s now a projected $1.1 billion deficit by June 2025.

Heckling wasn’t off the table, with Levy drawing laughs from Labour MPs and a facepalm from Te Pāti Māori Debbie Ngarewa Packer when he said “there are not cuts” to the health system.

“Tell the nurses that, tell the communities that, tell the national public service that,” Labour’s Ingrid Leary said.

A total of 358 roles (including vacant roles) in the National Public Health Service are among 1500 proposed to be disestablished in the latest round of cost-saving at Te Whatu Ora.

“I think there’s a line being drawn between reducing staff and a cut,” Levy retorted.

Chief executive of Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, Margie Apa, and Health NZ Commissioner Professor Lester Levy at the health select committee. (File photo)

“Keep digging,” Labour’s health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall replied.

A major point of contention was the level of insight the public and the Government’s political opponents had been granted on high level plans to “reset” the system, which included introducing a new operating model.

Alongside that, MPs raised delays on the likes of the legally required Health Plan, the mental health plan, a rare disorders strategy, and updates on primary care capitation and a review into urgent care.

Levy initially told Verrall he would consider releasing his “reset plan”, but firmed up his answer after she challenged him further.

Labour’s spokesperson for health, Dr Ayesha Verrall, told the commissioner people didn’t trust him because of the lack of transparency. (File photo)

“Can you see our frustration?” Verrall said. “Your accounts are presented late. We don’t have information on what you’re doing. Thousands of jobs are being cut …”

Apa jumped in to say the new operating model work was still in the “concept forming phase”.

Verrall said: “These important plans are not in the public domain … that is why people don’t trust you.”

“We’ll release the reset plan, we’ll do that,” Levy said, but the only timing he offered was not before Christmas.

The Health Plan sets priorities for the health system over the term of the Government, and is a legally required document which must be costed. Apa said it was delayed because it had to be “recosted”.

Professor Lester Levy says he and the chief executive of Health NZ have made a commitment to protect the front line, but there may be some 'marginal changes' to front line work.

“We have to ensure it’s affordable,” Apa said.

Both Verrall and Leary copped warnings from committee chairperson Sam Uffindell over using language such as “cooking the books”.

Levy said he resented this, after Verrall levelled the accusation at him saying it was his means to justify cuts to the health system.

“There is no reason for us to want to cook the books. The books are not good,” Levy said.

Levy took the opportunity to labour the problems at the Crown agency which he said ran deep before the deficit was revealed in July, pointing to a “total loss of financial control”.

“It is inconceivable that thousands of FTEs [full-time equivalents] would come in without people actually knowing that was happening,” Levy said.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngawera Packer stopped him to raise a point of order. “can we stop calling people FTEs? These are people who had jobs.”

Health NZ has warned more job losses are on the way and given itself until June 2027 to get back to budget.