While Health Minister Simeon Brown pushes for more Telehealth services, Health New Zealand (HNZ) is proposing to cut key Telehealth support roles to meet the Government’s drive to reduce health spending.

These proposed cuts would reduce access to virtual healthcare, increasing wait times and delaying vital diagnosis and treatment, Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Acting National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says.

Under HNZ’s proposed restructures of the Data and Digital, and Planning, Funding and Outcomes teams there would be a loss of 14 Telehealth roles.

The proposed cuts would see only two full time Telehealth data and digital roles, and one Planning, Funding and Outcomes (PFO) role remain, reduced from 17 Telehealth support roles (including vacant roles). Roles proposed to be cut include Telehealth co-ordinators and Telehealth facilitators.

Telehealth Data and Digital staff provide critical technical support to clinicians delivering healthcare services virtually, Fitzsimons says.

"These cuts will mean clinical staff delivering virtual patient care will not be able to access the support they need to deliver that care in future," Fitzsimons says.

Removing this number of Telehealth roles will result in significant loss of access, availability and quality of healthcare for our communities, she says.

"Axing vital Telehealth support roles makes a nonsense of the Government’s claims that their cuts to health won’t affect the care New Zealanders receive," Fitzsimons says.

The proposed cuts are part of the overall 47% cut to Data and Digital health services under the HNZ restructure proposal announced in late November, following a directive from the government to cut health spending.

The PSA understands some Telehealth workers have already left the team via voluntary redundancy or not having their contracts renewed.

"There is a risk that Telehealth workers will head offshore, and they would be hard to replace," Fitzsimons says.

"In January and February new Health Minister Simeon Brown strongly signalled he would be looking for increased use of virtual health care in the future. At the same time the Government is driving spending cuts that will see vital Telehealth technical support severely eroded.

"Cutting Telehealth is not going to help the Minister Simeon Brown’s intention to embrace technology and open new ways for patients to access healthcare. These cuts pull the plug on this.

"It’s further evidence that the Government's funding cuts are rushed, disorganised and ill thought out."

Telehealth enables patients to connect with healthcare providers for a range of reasons, including new mums accessing lactation experts, diabetics receiving help with insulin self-management and support for women who were survivors of the pelvic mesh medical scandal.

Some communities who may be impacted the most by these cuts include the nearly 25% of New Zealanders with disabilities, and those in rural communities, who may struggle to physically access healthcare.

"The geography of New Zealand coupled with a spread-out population present certain challenges for accessing healthcare services. Virtual healthcare will undoubtedly be part of the solution, but this requires funding and resourcing to meet the need," Fitzsimons says.

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