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Stuff/Stuff
A request for public data about the delivery of health services at hospitals across New Zealand turned into a battle for information.
The speed of cancer treatment, emergency department waits and how many surgeries have been delivered were all statistics that were available in June.
But, when health districts were asked for the same information in August, new crown entity Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand (HNZ) said it would take 20 working days to gather the information under the Official Information Act (OIA).
It was only after that decision was questioned by Stuff – a query that also became an OIA – that HNZ chairman Rob Campbell conceded the information should have been proactively released, and he thought it was already being done.
But, while hospital performance data – and eventually regional and national data – would be released going forward, there were no plans to make national board meetings open to the public, he said.
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RNZ
Te Whatu Ora board chairman Rob Campbell defends move to exclude the public and journalists from its board meeting, or read board papers.
Under the district health board system, boards would hold monthly public meetings, with agendas that could be read ahead of the meeting.
Regularly included in agendas was information about how healthcare was being delivered at the local level, and how it compared to national targets.
For example: in May 86% of patients who arrived at emergency departments in Te Tauihu (the top of the south) were seen within six hours. The national target is 95%.
Similar information about how district health boards performed against faster cancer treatment targets, waits for CT and MRI scans, the delivery of planned surgeries and hospital occupancy were also regularly included in those documents.
While it’s a lot of facts and figures, it’s information that shows how well – or not – healthcare is being delivered across the motu, with different regions facing different challenges.
In July district health boards were replaced by HNZ and Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority. The end of board meetings meant that data was no longer being released monthly.
But, when the 19 health districts were asked for those five pieces of information the question was referred to the national team and treated as an Official Information Act request, which allows 20 working days to provide a response.
On Wednesday, Campbell said the intention had always been to release the same level of data with the same timing as was available under the old system, but it “fell through the crack” during the transition to Te Whatu Ora.
“I wasn’t even aware it wasn’t being released. It’s a mistake made in the process of transition, not a deliberate endeavour to stop the flow of information.”
When the request for data was received staff mistakenly made it an OIA.
“As a result of your persistence on the questions it came to our level at national level and has been corrected overnight, so it will be made promptly available,” Campbell said.
As well as local data being made available, HNZ planned to increase the amount of information being proactively released.
“It’s the public hospital system, and we want them to understand what is happening there, and we want to be accountable.”
The quest for local data comes on the back of questions being raised about the national board meetings being held behind closed doors.
Campbell said there was no intention to open the doors to the public, and it was a “storm in a teacup” because it was not practical to hold those meetings publicly.
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“Any of the information that the public wants will be available.”
Health and disability research consultant Gabrielle Baker (Ngāpuhi) said government agencies relying on the OIA often created barriers to information for the public, which was particularly concerning for groups that were already marginalised – such as Māori and those with disabilities.
Access to transparent information was a “basic right”, she said.
She was “optimistic” about the new health system, and said it was good issues around accessing information had been identified.
But, she questioned why the release of information hadn’t been worked through before HNZ started operating in July.
“It would seem strange to me that the changes to the health system have made it harder to access routine information rather than easier.”
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