Kotahi te tima - Ministry of Health update

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Issue: May 2018

Kotahi te Tīma - One Team is a new monthly update for Ministry of Health stakeholders, covering the Ministry’s work programme and important health sector issues and providing useful links to Ministry resources.

We’ve sent you this first update because you are on our stakeholder list or have elected to receive updates about the New Zealand Health Strategy. Please feel free to share this update with your work colleagues.

Budget 2018

The Government has released Budget 2018. Health Minister Dr David Clark has issued five press releases announcing funding for:

You can find more information about what has been announced in Budget 2018 on the Beehive website.

You can also visit our website for information about:

Primary health care
Extending zero fees to under-14s and introducing low-cost visits for Community Services Card holders will be implemented from December 2018. To stay up to date on the initiatives please visit Primary health care subsidies and services
Commmunity-based midwives
We are working with Health Workforce New Zealand, district health boards and the New Zealand College of Midwives on the midwifery component of the draft maternity programme designed to address issues on a midwifery-led service. We will be broadening our sector involvement over the coming month and will post updates on our website: Maternity services
Air ambulance services
Air ambulance helicopter services are a critical part of how we respond to health emergencies in New Zealand. The recently closed request for proposal is the first step in a 10-year modernisation programme for the country’s air ambulance services to ensure every community has access to an effective air ambulance helicopter service. Visit our website for updates on the project: Designing a new model for air ambulance helicopter services.

Overview: The Ministry of Health’s work programme

The Ministry has changed the way it works to deliver the Government's priorities with a focus on sector involvement.

The priorities are:

achieving equity
child wellbeing
mental health
primary health care.

These changes will address the recommendations from the 2017 Performance Improvement Framework (PIF) review of the Ministry of Health by the State Services Commission.

We have established joint Ministry and sector co-leadership and governance arrangements to advance the Government’s priorities. These arrangements will also help us to address the Ministry’s other immediate priorities:

maternity care and midwifery
capital asset management
drinking-water regulation
electives
DHB performance framework.

In our next update, we will let you know how work on each of the priorities is progressing.

Latest News

Consultation on hemp seed as food

The Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry of Health are currently consulting on amending regulations to allow the sale and use of low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) hemp seed as food in New Zealand.

Regional data on New Zealand Health Survey

We recently released Regional results from the New Zealand Health Survey using a new interactive tool, the Regional Data Explorer. The regional data can be broken down in one of three ways:

by district health board
by regional council
by public health unit.

Latest publications and resources

Active play for under-fives

Resources to encourage active play for tamariki under five years of age are now available from our website: Sit Less, Move More, Sleep Well: Active play guidelines for under-fives resources.

Your feedback is needed

We want to make sure Kotahi te Tīma is a useful update for our stakeholders. Let us know what you think in this short survey: Kotahi te Tīma Readership Survey

Ongoing communication

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For more information about this update, please email us at: stakeholder_communication@moh.govt.nz