Too many unanswered questions on unmet needs

7 March 2016

Too many unanswered questions with Government figures on unmet need

“There are far too many unanswered questions with the Government’s figures on unmet health need to have any confidence in them as an accurate reflection of what’s happening,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

He was commenting on media reports that the Government has released figures which show more than 5300 people missed out on surgery they need over a three-month period last year (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/77566630/who-is-missing-out-on-surgery-government-releases-first-figures-of-phantom-waiting-list). This may be as high as 20,000 annually.

Christchurch surgeon and Chair of the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust, Phil Bagshaw, has questioned the integrity of the data, saying it needs to be collected by an independent panel of experts.

“We share his concerns,” says Mr Powell. “What we’re hearing from hospital specialists, who are on the front line of providing health care, is that the level of unmet need in the community is much higher than these figures suggest.

“For example, this data doesn’t include patients who are put in a state of virtual suspension. They aren’t put on the surgical waiting list in the first place. Instead, despite being seen by a specialist and assessed as meeting the clinical threshold for an operation, these patients are simply put to one side while hospital managers wait to see if the four-month maximum target can be met.

“Unfortunately managers are incentivised to suspend patients because their district health board is financially penalised if they fail to meet the four-month maximum target.

“People are really struggling to get the surgical and other health care they need, and it’s distressing both for them and also the doctors trying to treat them.”

ENDS

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