Wāhi whakawhiti kōrero hauora

Consumer health forum Aotearoa

He Hoa Tiaki | Partners in Care team with Health Minister Hon Andrew Little (fifth from left)

Tā te tumu whakarae kupu | Director update 

Tēnā koutou katoa,

This is my first update as the director of He Hoa Tiaki | Partners in Care, a role I started on 1 August 2022. While I am new to this role, I am not new to this team, having been part of it for six years. I am delighted to be leading a team of talented individuals who are motivated by improving the quality and safety of our health sector. I have always been driven by contributing to a health sector that is determined and shaped by what matters to the people it serves. I appreciate we have pockets of excellence and there is more work to do to ensure that these pockets expand.

I begin the role as we conclude our work on developing the code of expectations for health entities’ engagement with consumers and whānau. While this chapter may be finished, the work has only just begun to implement the code. The Minister noted at the launch of the code and consumer health forum Aotearoa on 25 August that the ‘proof is in the pudding’. You will also see in the coming months that the code will be available in multiple languages and formats.

Our team is committed to supporting the sector to implement the code and this includes the Health Quality & Safety Commission also applying the code. We have a range of resources to help with implementation, with much more to come. We will continue to post new resources as they are developed via Ngā Pae Hiranga. We are also entering a period where we hope to be able to offer more face-to-face forum opportunities and really connect with members of the forum.

We’d love to hear from you. If you would like to share your experiences being involved in a co-design project or share some of the great health work happening in your community, please email us via consumers@hqsc.govt.nz or by calling 0800 275 742.

Noho ora mai,

Deon York
Director, He Hoa Tiaki | Partners in Care

Members of the consumer health forum Aotearoa, district consumer councils, Health Quality & Safety Commission’s Consumer Advisory Group and Consumer Network celebrate the launch of the code of expectations for health entities’ engagement with consumers and whānau and the consumer health forum Aotearoa at Parliament with Health Minister Hon Andrew Little (back row, fifth from left). To view the full photo album click here.