Podcasts about health nz

Are early finishes to blame for the surgical backlog? Surgeon Chris Wakeman claims that public health professionals won't perform surgeries past the 4pm cutoff, causing backlog issues. Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan told Mike Hosking that early finishes do occur. The rosters generally run until about 4:30/5pm, and he says that there are very few operations that can be done in less than half an hour. He says they've been running weekend theatres to try get more people through, but you need quite a big work force to do that consistently. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From 10 on Wednesday morning senior medical and dental officers in Northland will go on strike for 24 hours. Health New Zealand Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Government is delivering an increased number of elective procedures to try to meet patient wait time targets. More than 84% of cancer patients are starting treatment within 31 days – 1% more than last year. Health Minister Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking they want that up to 90% by 2030, and are working to speed up treatments. He says they've swiftly outsourced nine thousand 500 electives to the private sector in an effort to get Health New Zealand moving faster. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is directing Health New Zealand to give private hospitals 10 year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries. The directive has caught the hospitals by surprise, and is raising questions about the privitisation of the public system. Anusha Bradley reports.

A mental health facility for some of our most difficult to treat patients has been given a last-minute reprieve ahead of its pending closure. Health NZ has proposed shutting Segar House, a publicly funded intensive programme for people with long-standing or chronic mental health problems. But staff have been rallying to save it, and now more voices are joining those calls, including a former patient. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

For the next month nurses at Auckland City, Starship and Greenlane hospitals will refuse to take 'on-call' shifts. They say Health New Zealand's latest pay offer doesn't keep pace with inflation or the cost of living. Health New Zealand Northern Region Deputy chief executive Mike Shepherd spoke to Corin Dann.

Health New Zealand says the situation in Tairāwhiti Hospital is challenging, but progress is being made with more permanent staff now signing on. Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Sharyn MacDonald, Chief of Radiology at Health NZ Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury, explores the evolving role of artificial intelligence in radiology to improve patient safety and access to care. Sharyn shares insights into how Health NZ is assessing the potential use of AI tools - from fracture detection to improving diagnostic workflows - and discusses the importance of clinician-led innovation, and ensuring safe implementation. 

There's a belief EDs could be diverting patients away with vouchers for urgent care clinic consultations, more than they are. It's believed Auckland's Waitakere Hospital is sending away around 25 patients a day with vouchers due to long wait lists. The Health District's total voucher spend jumped 60% between 2022 and last year. The Royal College of GPs' Medical Director, Luke Bradford told Mike Hosking there's pressure on EDs to meet Health NZ's target of seeing patients within six hours. He says it's cheaper to hand out a $150 or $200 voucher, considering the average cost for a visit is 800. Bradford says it's a reasonable way to help manage the flow of EDs, and vouches are a solution to managing a recession and a lack of resources. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Checkpoint can reveal that Health New Zealand has spent more than $130 million fixing up faux pas with its holiday pay. It all stems from issues related to the Holiday's Act that were identified in 2016, when it was discovered former District Health Boards were not paying staff correctly, including doctors, nurses and health care assistances. Reporter Jimmy Ellingham spoke to Lisa Owen.

Checkpoint has discovered Te Whatu Ora has spent more than 130 million dollars remediating payroll problems and that doesn't include the cost of repaying wages. It all stems from issues related to the Holiday's Act that were identified in 2016, when it was discovered former District Health Boards were not paying staff correctly, including doctors, nurses and health care assistances. Dr Mike Shepherd, Health New Zealand's Acting Deputy Chief Executive Northern Region spoke to Lisa Owen.

Health New Zealand wants to knock 20,000 elective surgeries off its waiting lists by outsourcing thousands of simple cases to private hospitals and getting public sector doctors to work more hours. Anusha Bradey reports.

A new measles case has been identified in Auckland and it's a crew member working with Fullers 360. Health NZ protection clinical director Dr Susan Jack spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Join host Paul Spain and Jonathan Good (Scentian Bio) as they explore Scentian Bio's innovative technology, poised to transform real-time chemical sensing in food, health, and environmental monitoring. Jonathan explains its origins and potential uses, such as detecting food contamination and wearable health diagnostics. Plus, tech news from the week including, Governmental email protocol challenges, Health NZ's proposed workforce changes, Spotify's flexible payment options, AI's energy demands, the Potential hazards of orbital overcrowding and more.Thanks to our Partners One NZ, 2degrees, HP, Spark and Gorilla Technology

Keeping our top medical talent on New Zealand shores, compromised care and growing wait lists. These are some of the reasons over 5,000 senior doctors have walked off the job in unprecedented 24-hour strike action over stalled pay and conditions talks. Health NZ said the strike has forced the postponement of more than 4,000 planned procedures. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

More than 5000 senior doctors from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists union are striking for 24 hours. Health NZ's chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Over 4000 medical procedures are on hold today while 5000 senior doctors strike for better working conditions. This comes after eight months of failed negotiations with Health New Zealand. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says it's not going to fill workforce gaps without major improvements to pay and conditions. Health NZ Chief Clinical Officer Doctor Richard Sullivan told Mike Hosking waitlist times for procedures will now stretch out further. He says the more than 4000 procedures which have been delayed will impact on getting people earlier access to care. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former health chief said cutting the number of intensive care beds planned for the new Dunedin Hospital is taking chances with the region's health. 30 intensive care unit beds were originally planned, with capacity for a further 10 beds. But Health New Zealand has cut the number of ICU beds to 20 on opening, with room to increase to 40 beds in the future. Tess Brunton reports from Dunedin.

The plans to close Segar House - which offers a publicly-funded, intensive psychotherapy day programme - the only one of its kind in the country.

In Pacific Waves today: Rabuka's coalition is doomed - Fiji's former AG; Ocean conservation group condemns Trump's exec order; Health NZ to slash 22 jobs in Pacific health; 'I'm still emotional' - Samoan nun recalls meeting with Pope Francis. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Coalition tells Health NZ to use ‘women’ over ‘pregnant people’, Victorian senate candidate defends pro-squatting stance after unusual break-in. Plus, SA Police Chief says resources may fall short if Adelaide hosts COP31.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A report commisioned by Health New Zealand warns its current management of its hospitals and other facilities is so poor, it cannot effectively plan for upgrades or replacements, among other issues. RNZ's Phil Pennington spoke with Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Public Service Association said hundreds more jobs could go at Health NZ - and affected staff have told RNZ they feel despondent, exhausted and anxious. Health NZ has confirmed it's consulting with staff on proposed changes to its people and culture tea and RNZ understands it's also proposed a restructure in its communications department. Reporter Lauren Crimp spoke to Lisa Owen.

Transgender researchers are disappointed Health New Zealand has been told to stop using the term "pregnant people" in favour of "pregnant women". The coalition has told the agency the use of inclusive language is confusing for some people - directing it to use "sex-specific language" from now on. While the move has drawn criticism from some academics, researchers and midwives are in agreement that an 'and-and' approach is probably best. Political reporter Anneke Smith has more.

Casey Costello believes slashing inclusive language will help the health system connect with women. The Associate Health Minister is directing Health NZ to refer to pregnant people as women, and to not use gender-diverse terms. Costello says we need to recognise women have significant health issues. "So we need to be clear - we are targeting women and we want women to reach out and connect as much as possible with health services." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, former Labour Minister Stuart Nash and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has directed Health NZ to refer to pregnant women rather than pregnant people. Do we agree with this move? The Government is set to introduce tougher fines for people who chain up their dogs for long periods of time, but is the problem not wider than that? Just over half of employees think their chances for a promotion are better if they work in the office. Is this not obvious? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has directed Health New Zealand to say "pregnant women" instead of "pregnant people" in its health communications. Political reporter Anneke Smith spoke to Corin Dann.

This afternoon we heard from the minister of health Simeon Brown, who says he understands his predecessor Dr Shane Reti met with the doctors in Tairawhiti last year and developed a recruitment plan... He reiterated that 11.1 full time equivalent senior medical officers are in the pipeline for the region, and recrutiment is underway for more.

Te Whatu Ora is proposing to slash jobs from a department that brings in millions of dollars a year and ensures safety in hospitals, rest homes and other community health providers. The union said the proposal is non-sensical and will cost far more than it saves, while the former chair of Health NZ has called it extremely risky. Keiller MacDuff reports.

The Waikato 11-year-old mistakenly treated as an adult mental health patient was restrained and twice injected with a drug rarely given to children. More details have emerged as Health NZ releases its rapid review into the incident where the autistic girl was wrongly identified as a 20 year old last month. The health agency says it is creating an action plan to stop it happening again. Rowan Quinn reports.   

Unidentified mental health patients will now be assessed by a medical team to prevent identity mistakes. NZ Mental Health Foundation Chief Executive Shaun Robinson spoke to Paddy Gower.

Health New Zealand has admitted "significant failings" and apologised for the experience of an 11-year-old girl who was restrained and mistaken for a 20-year-old. Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad spoke to Corin Dann.

On today's episode, an RNZ investigation has revealed ministers were lobbied by infant formula companies in the months before the government ditched tougher rules for how formula is made and sold, the Children's Commissioner discusses the report from Health NZ into the eleven-year-old girl who was restrained and mistaken for a 20-year-old, Tasman farmers are hopeful the latest rain will bring relief from the region's drought, Auckland has had its driest March in 15 years, a Christchurch man has developed an app can rate pies, and Black Cap Mitch Hay hit 99 not out to help the Black Caps beat Pakistan.

Health New Zealand has apologised and says it's a top priority to make sure a case of mistaken identity never happens again. Police mistook an 11-year-old for a distressed woman in her 20s - and she was restrained and given drugs meant for adults at a Waikato mental health facility. Chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan says it's clear human error was a factor - and they need to learn from this. "What's clear here is - our staff were doing everything in good faith, working hard, there's no doubt some human error occurred here. But we just need to learn from that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A patient information system lauded by Health New Zealand is among a raft of digital projects put on hold. Phil Pennington spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Health NZ says its review into health care, that found access to health care had worsened, proves it is on track with plans to focus sharply on reducing waiting times. 

Half of the Government's $400m savings target has come out of Heath NZ in the form of contractors and consultant spending. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive director Sarah Dalton says isn't happy about the cuts. "This seems flagrant in terms of taking the short-term option, not looking a little bit further down the road," she said. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A long awaited report into the safety and quality of healthcare has found that overall access to care at both primary and hospital level has deteriorated. 

Access to timely primary and hospital healthcare has significantly deteriorated. Health New Zealand's released a Clinical Quality and Safety Review - using data from the past decade. It reveals numbers of people waiting more than four months to see a specialist tripled between 2020 and 2023. Chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan says Covid played a role and numbers are stabilising. But he says there's a long way to go. He also explained one target is 95 percent of patients waiting less than four months - but we're on about 60 percent, so improving that is a big focus. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigations are underway into how Health NZ staff and Waikato police mistook an 11-year-old girl for a 20-year-old mental health patient. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey spoke to Corin Dann.

Health New Zealand's commitment to boosting specialist palliative care for dying children is under scrutiny, after promises it was actively recruiting more staff, despite not advertising any jobs. Anusha Bradley reports.

Health New Zealand has apologised to a New Plymouth woman who was forced to find the cash to pay for a private ultrasound, after being told she'd have to wait six months under the public system. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Health NZ has apologised after an 11-year-old girl was mistaken for a 20-year-old woman and admitted to a mental health facility. Autism New Zealand chief executive Dane Dougan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A top medical graduate who can't find a job in a hospital says Health NZ needs to do more to ensure locally trained doctors are not being lost to the system. Ruth Hill reports.

The brother of a man who died by suicide in Palmerston North Hospital's mental health ward in April 2014 has welcomed a damning coroner's report into the death. Shaun Gray died on the 16th of April, 2014, and today Coroner Matthew Bates released comprehensive findings into the failings in Mr Gray's care. Reporter Jimmy Ellingham spoke to Ricky Gray, asking him if he accepted the word of Health NZ, and the MidCentral District Health Board before it, that improvements have been made.

Simeon Brown's hitting back over concerns of overreach from what he's calling the 'health police.' The Health Minister's directed public health doctors to stop weighing in on issues like fast food, and leading advocacy campaigns. But the comments, combined with looming job cuts, have sent shockwaves through the medical sector – who fear this 'censorship' would limit doctors' ability to effectively serve their communities. Brown told Ryan Bridge public health teams should primarily focus on immunisation targets. He says they shouldn't be waging war against council policies and people's choices about what they want to eat. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've received another one of these “the Government went against official advice“ stories. This one was around bowel testing. The Government has recently announced that testing has dropped in age from 60 to 58-years-old. The money to pay for that extra testing has come from the separate Māori and Pacific testing, which cuts in at 50-years-old. The official advice is that more lives could be saved if you tested more Māori and Pacific Islanders. The new health minister said in response that what we need to do to save more lives is test more people. He is of course unquestionably right, because the word "people" is critical. We are all people and, given we all contribute to the system that tests us, exempting some from access i.e a non-Māori , is not right. Yet again, this is part of the race-based system we have in this country, which hopefully is slowly but surely being dismantled. Adding to this official advice part of the story is my increasing concern based on the Brian Roache report into the public service and the Deloitte report into Health NZ. It's possible this so-called "official advice" is either pointless or politically motivated. If you start with a system that anyone at anytime can get a test, and then work backwards because that is not effective or affordable, at some point you come to a hap-ish, affordable medium. Age will be a factor because there's no point in bowel testing a 29-year-old. So what is the magic number? They have decided 60years-old, until they decided 58-years-old. Breast screening mammogram have gone through the same debate. But at no point should race be a factor. Yet, it has been. Having just completed my first state participant bowel screen I would be deeply offended if I was bumped, delayed or stopped simply because I am not Maori or Pasifika. I am a taxpayer and a New Zealander. My right is no more or less important or relevant than anyone else's and yet there are those that would argue otherwise. By prioritising race, you are saying one life is worth more than another. You can't do that That's what makes the official advice wrong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we discuss Discord's IPO plans, Cursor's big raise, and how much coding developers actually do. Plus, is Southwest making a huge mistake with bag fees and assigned seats? Watch the YouTube Live Recording of Episode (https://www.youtube.com/live/JmkVmwAMw6U?si=ywGs_F3DImUFC0LZ) 510 (https://www.youtube.com/live/JmkVmwAMw6U?si=ywGs_F3DImUFC0LZ) Runner-up Titles Cote's not here, so we'll keep it tight They treated me like I'm stupid I'm not here to buy into the culture Go eats some rocks and glue My head is full of simultaneous thoughts Fly high Icarus, fly high We are certain of the uncertainty Rundown Southwest Airlines shifts to paid baggage policy to lift earnings (https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/southwest-airlines-shifts-paid-baggage-policy-lift-earnings-2025-03-11/) Discord in Early Talks With Bankers for Potential I.P.O. (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/technology/discord-ipo.html?unlocked_article_code=1.1k4.eQrV.NtKK_GpiT-Di&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=p) IDE Follow up DevTasks outside of the IDE (PDF) (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2019/04/devtime-preprint-TSE19.pdf) How Much Are LLMs Actually Boosting Real-World Programmer Productivity? — LessWrong (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/tqmQTezvXGFmfSe7f/how-much-are-llms-actually-boosting-real-world-programmer) [AI [CursorStartup Anysphere in Talks for Close to $10 Billion Valuation (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-07/ai-startup-anysphere-in-talks-for-close-to-10-billion-valuation) Market Trends Nvidia Is Down 27% From Its Peak. (https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/03/07/nvidia-stock-down-27-from-peak-history-says-this/) Millennium Loses $900 Million on Strategy Roiled by Market Chaos (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-08/millennium-loses-900-million-on-strategy-roiled-by-market-chaos) Relevant to your Interests OpenAI executives have told some investors about plans for a $20,000/month agent (https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-plots-charging-20-000-a-month-for-phd-level-agents> |

Political commentators, Neale Jones and Tim Hurdle discuss a week of change - a board is returning to Health NZ,  the Reserve Bank governor is suddenly gone, as is NZ's High Commissioner to London 

The announcement by the Health Minister was part of a raft of changes for the public health system. Alongside reinstating the board, Minister Simeon Brown slammed Health NZ for poor leadership - and outlined a plan to partner with the private sector. Ruth Hill reports.