1. Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Does he stand by his commitment to move health resources to the front line?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
Yes. This is an important objective that is desperately needed, given that over the last 9 years the health bureaucracy grew by around 25 percent, and the outgoing Labour Government cut $150 million from the health budget a few weeks before the general election.
Dr Paul Hutchison Link to this
Why is the Government so intent on moving resources out of administration and into improving front-line services?
Our focus is on improving services for patients and consumers. In the middle of the worst recession since the 1930s, the Government has continued to make large investments in the public health service, and it is unacceptable that the health bureaucracy has ballooned over the past 9 years. We are endeavouring to peg it back. For example, the Government has cut the number of measures of district health board performance by around a quarter, and we have cut the number of reports that hospital staff must send to the Ministry of Health by a startling 52 percent.
Iain Lees-Galloway Link to this
Will the Minister refuse to sign off on any cuts to front-line services or front-line staff at MidCentral District Health Board, given that he has personally demanded that it finds $10 million worth of spending cuts?
The MidCentral District Health Board is reviewing its staffing. For example, three directors have replaced five group managers on the senior management team. At the MidCentral District Health Board we have inherited a major deficit of around $10 million, which is not helped by that member’s party cutting $150 million from Vote Health before the last election. But I assure the member that on the issue of staffing and services at the MidCentral District Health Board, this Government is putting an extra $25 million into that district health board for the next 12 months, and it will make the decisions with regard to those resources.
Clare CurranWill he agree to the cuts to community services to the rural elderly in Otago and Southland proposed by the Otago District Health Board; if so, how does he think those cuts will improve the health of these older people?
District health boards are expected to make decisions within the funding that they receive, and in Otago and Southland—[ Interruption] Members should wait for this: we have increased the funding of those district health boards by $29 million over the next year. On the matter of Ms Curran’s question, I have received assurances from the district health board that with the changes to residential care, no one will be unsafe, no one will be at risk, and no one will be unable to stay in his or her home because of these changes.
Grant RobertsonHow will the closing of wards at Wanganui Hospital, as reported in the Wanganui Chronicle, help to deliver better front-line services for the people of the Wanganui region?
We have inherited very significant problems in the Whanganui District Health Board. After 9 long years of the previous Government, services at the Whanganui District Health Board are in desperate need of improvement. That is why this Government is putting an extra $8.6 million into that board in order for it to deliver its services to the people of the district.
Hon Darren Hughes Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Mr Robertson’s question was very specific: it was about the closing of wards at a particular hospital. The Minister gave us a political response; that is fair enough. But we wanted to be given specific information about how the closing of certain wards could lead to better health outcomes for the people of Wanganui. The answer went no way towards addressing that.
Mr SPEAKERI heard the Minister, in answering that question, talk about the additional funding that he claimed was going into that health board, and that seemed to me to be a reasonable answer to the allegation that wards were being closed. The Minister replied by saying the Government was actually putting in more funding. It would seem to me that that is a reasonable response to that question.
Hon Darren Hughes Link to this
The Minister may well have made reference to general funding, but he did not link it to the closing of wards. This was a very short supplementary question specifically about the closing of wards in a certain hospital. The Minister did not say that his funding changes somehow were linked to those ward closures, so I do not think he has addressed that question.
With respect, if that is the kind of detail that the member asking the question wants to know, maybe that needs to be put down in a primary question. It is fairly unreasonable to expect the Minister to know every detail of every hospital around the country, when the primary question does not indicate that kind of detail is being sought. I think that is unreasonable.
Carmel SepuloniThe Taranaki District Health Board receives a significant amount of money from the Government from which to improve its services for the public. I have to say that the Taranaki District Health Board has done a very good job with its plans on how to spend the additional $11.1 million that this Government will be funding it this year—an increase of over 4 percent.
Stuart NashCan he guarantee that the reported cut-backs in Tairāwhiti District Health Board will not be to front-line services?
First of all, I say that is a rather broad claim of reported cut-backs to services at Tairāwhiti District Health Board. It is much akin to the claims of the Opposition health spokesperson, who keeps talking about cuts to different services that do not actually exist, because she looked at the wrong table in the Estimates. I can tell the member that Tairāwhiti District Health Board is getting the biggest single increase in funding that it has ever had in years—a total increase of over $8 million.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked the Minister whether he would guarantee there would be no cut-backs to front-line services; he did not mention the words “front-line services” once. It was a reasonably general question.
Hon David Cunliffe
Hon Gerry Brownlee Link to this
I am pleased that the Opposition think I am so capable. I just suggest that we are getting a lot of questioning again of answers where in fact, rather than a point of order being raised, you, Mr Speaker, are being asked to judge the quality of the answer. We have been over and over, for probably some hours in this House in the last few months, the position that puts you in. Perhaps some reinforcement, particularly to new members, of exactly what the Standing Orders say and require, and of what Speakers’ rulings have determined over a large number of years, would be useful.
I thank the honourable member for his intervention. The line I am taking with Ministers when they are answering questions is that where the primary question is clear and the Minister should have the information, I believe that the House and the public of New Zealand deserve to have such straight questions answered. However, where a general question is the primary question and then it is followed up by a number of detailed questions, it is much more difficult to expect the Minister to have specific information on those detailed further questions. Basically, in response to the member’s question, the Minister really refuted any allegation that there will be a cut-back in services, and in his answer stated there would be an increase in funding. I cannot judge the quality of that answer, but it would seem to me that it is a reasonable answer to the question he was asked. He is refuting the allegation and saying that rather than funding cuts in respect of that particular health board, there is a funding increase. I think that that is a reasonable answer to the question, given the primary question.
Why did the Minister agree to the proposal to cut 5,000 visits to the emergency department, for a 10 percent cut in X-rays, and for the cutting of 200 operations, all at Timaru Hospital; and how will he explain those health cuts to the good people of Timaru?
I think one would explain that by actually looking for the truth behind those reports rather than misinterpreting information and tables, as the member does. For example, the truth behind the so-called cut to radiology is that the South Canterbury District Health Board is going to pay its private providers less. But it is apparently a cut to service that the board is going to reduce the amount it pays its private providers! I can tell that member that the district health board is making decisions within the resources it has, including an extra $6 million this year—a 4.4 percent increase.
Can the Minister now confirm that doctors and nurses are not front-line staff, and that home support, community services for the elderly, hospital wards on weekends, mental health services, emergency departments, X-rays, and operations are not front-line services?
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Do I need to go into any detail? I think the—
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Well, very quickly, that answer was prefaced by an offensive comment—one that was absolutely spurious and unnecessary.
Hon Clayton CosgroveI am dealing with a point of order. If “odd” is offensive, I apologise for that. But it was an unusual way to phrase a question, I have to admit. It sought an opinion. The kind of answer that members will get when they seek opinions or state questions in an unusual way—I cannot ask Ministers to be totally non-political in the way they answer questions like that. I mean, if members put down straight questions on the Order Paper, I will make sure Ministers answer them, but I cannot insist on a particular answer to that kind of question.
District health boards are making decisions with regard to increased funding. These district health boards are led by many of the same people whom Labour—those members’ party—appointed while previously in Government, and they are endeavouring to do the best they can within the generous and improved financial resources we have provided in this year’s Budget. I can tell that member opposite that this Government is determined there will be improved front-line services for New Zealanders. We simply cannot continue to have the situation where, over the last 9 years, the budget has doubled but fewer people have had operations.
I seek leave to table an article from the Manawatu Standard headlined “Hospital jobs to go in $10 million cost cut”.
I seek leave to table an article from the Otago Daily Times outlining cuts to community services for elderly people.
Leave is sought to table an article from Otago Daily Times. Is there any objection? There is objection.
I seek leave to table an article from the Wanganui Chronicle headlined “Hospital looks to close wards at weekends”.
I seek leave to table an article from the Taranaki Daily News, outlining proposed cuts in mental health services and Māori health support services.
Leave is sought to table that article from the Taranaki Daily News. Is there any objection? There is objection?
I seek leave to table two articles from the Timaru Herald one outlining the 200 operations to be axed, and the other outlining the proposal to cut 5,000 visits to the Timaru Hospital emergency department.
Leave is sought to table those two articles from the Timaru Herald. Is there any objection? There is objection.
I seek leave to table a letter from Tony Ryall to the South Canterbury District Health Board, saying the board has his full support in implementing the plan of cuts outlined in my supplementary question.