20 JULY
NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
1905

Health

Health and Disability Services Act 1993

Notice to the Northern Regional Health Authority of the Crown’s Objectives for Health and Disability Services

Pursuant to section 8(1) of the Health and Disability Services Act 1993, I, Jennifer Mary Shipley, hereby give the Northern Regional Health Authority notice of the Crown’s objectives in respect of the following matters:

Purpose

The Crown’s objective is for the Northern Regional Health Authority to improve the health status and promote the independence of people in the communities through the purchase of health and disability services, having regard to:

(i) the Principles when making decisions in relation to all services and population groups;

(ii) the particular characteristics, special needs and cultural values of the communities, in particular Maori, Pacific Islands people, and people with disabilities; for which the Northern Regional Health Authority is responsible; and

(iii) what is reasonably achievable in 1995/96 within the funding available to the Northern Regional Health Authority.

In particular, the Crown’s objective is that the Northern Regional Health Authority should recognise the Crown’s policy directions for Maori health expressed in the document “Whaia te ora mo te iwi” in its purchase activities.

Health Gain Priority Areas

In discharging the purpose it is the Crown’s objective to improve health status in the following health gain priority areas:

(1) Child Health
by focusing on improving the coverage of services by targeting those who are in need of additional services and by identifying cost-effective services;

(2) Maori Health
by seeking to improve the health status of Maori so that they will have the opportunity to enjoy the same level of health as non-Maori; and

(3) Mental Health
by focusing on decreasing the prevalence of mental illness and reducing the impact of mental disorders on consumers, their families, caregivers and the community.

Service Obligations

(a) The Range of Health and Disability Services to be Purchased by the Northern Regional Health Authority

In discharging the purpose it is the Crown’s objective that the Northern Regional Health Authority, in accordance with and to the extent enabled by its funding agreement, purchase or arrange for the purchase of the following Personal Health and Disability Services:

(1) Primary Care Services;

(2) Pregnancy and Childbirth Services;

(3) Dental Health Services;

(4) Primary Diagnostic and Therapeutic Support Services;

(5) Secondary and Tertiary Medical Services;

(6) Secondary and Tertiary Surgical Services;

(7) Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Services; and

(8) Disability Support Services.

(b) The Coverage and/or Terms of Access to those Services

In discharging the purpose the Crown’s objectives in terms of cover and/or access to those health and disability services are to:

(1) improve equality of access to health and disability services for eligible persons (including assessment and review procedures);

(2) target services, where appropriate, to particular individuals in relation to need. These target populations may be defined by a range of factors related to identifiable health and/or disability need; and

(3) ensure that the services purchased at least meet the service obligations set out in the Funding Agreement.

The Crown envisages that health and disability services may be planned and/or purchased nationally, regionally or locally.

(c) The Standard of those Services

In discharging the purpose the Crown’s objectives in relation to the standard of health and disability services are that the Northern Regional Health Authority purchases health and disability services:

(1) in a way that maintains and improves the quality and effectiveness of those services;

(2) which comply with all requisite legal, ethical and safety requirements relating to the provision and standard of health and disability services; and

(3) in a manner that ensures that the services provided are culturally appropriate and aim to respect and empower the eligible persons and communities served by the Northern Regional Health Authority.

In particular, assessment and review procedures should comply with established ethical, professional and legal requirements, as well as national standards where these are developed.

Principles

In discharging all of the above and to assist in securing for the people of New Zealand the best health; and the best care or support for those in need of services; and the greatest independence for people with disabilities—that is reasonably achievable within the amount of funding provided—it is the Crown’s objective that the Northern Regional Health Authority apply the following principles (“the Principles”) in their purchase decisions:

(i) equity;

(ii) effectiveness;

(iii) efficiency;

(iv) safety;

(v) acceptability; and

(vi) risk management.

Dated at Wellington this 4th day of July 1995.

J. M. SHIPLEY, Minister of Health.

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Notice to the Midland Regional Health Authority of the Crown’s Objectives for Health and Disability Services

Pursuant to section 8(1) of the Health and Disability Services Act 1993, I, Jennifer Mary Shipley, hereby give the Midland Regional Health Authority notice of the Crown’s objectives in respect of the following matters: