"Establishing localities will begin to bridge the gaps between community, primary and secondary care and help ensure our health system better reflects community needs," New Zealand Medical Association Chair Dr Alistair Humphrey said today.
The New Zealand Medical Association welcomes this morning's announcement of the nine locality network pilots.
"Practitioners and patients know what needs to be done to best support their health - making it easier for local practitioners to work more closely together to serve the people in their area just makes good sense," Dr Humphrey says.
"NZMA is working with Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority to ensure clinical expertise and workforce demands are at the heart of decision making, leadership and governance within the new localities, Health Plan and in the Health Charter.
"Many of the longstanding inequities in our health system are structural - localities are a step towards removing these inequities in our healthcare system by building a new structure that works for both patients and practitioners.
"NZMA would like to see more clarity about how proposed cost savings - resulting from streamlining administrative and bureaucratic roles in 20 District Health Boards into Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority - will be redirected into more Doctors, Nurses and other health care staff on the front-line of patient care.
"Doctors are eager to understand how their work and working relationships will change under the new localities and are looking forward to working more closely together with their colleagues to improve health care for New Zealanders.
"We are looking forward to a strong commitment to more clinical expertise in decision making, leadership and governance as we refine and roll-out the up to 80 localities over the next two years," Dr Humphrey says.
