Friday 3 May 2002
How To Improve The Quality Of New Zealand's Health Care Services
"In order for health care services to achieve the best health outcomes, quality improvement should be the prime focus
of health care delivery in this country." This advice is contained in a National Health Committee (NHC) report Safe
Systems Supporting Safe Care released by Health Minister Annette King today.
"Rather than just being the task of those with 'quality' in their job titles, quality improvement should be the shared
responsibility of all individuals and teams in the health sector, as well as organisations and government. Improvement
should be an integral, 'everyday' part of the health care process," the report says.
The NHC's report comments that people using health care services expect them to be safe. Yet a recent study of adverse
events in New Zealand hospitals indicates that treatment is not always safe. The study found that adverse events were
associated with 13 percent of hospital admissions, of which about one third were considered highly preventable.
The NHC considers that improving the quality of health care be approached through attention to five components: safety,
consumer-focus, access, effectiveness and efficiency. It sees these components as closely interrelated and, therefore,
to be viewed together rather than in isolation.
In calling for quality improvement to the be prime focus of health care delivery, the NHC also calls for the explicit
identification of the trade-offs - relevant to the five components of quality - that emerge from such a focus. For
instance, a trade-off between safety and access arises when considering the extent to which services are centralised.
"Responding to the experiences of people who receive health care (and their families) is crucial to improving quality.
Consumers and carers have direct experiences, both positive and negative, of health care processes and know firsthand
the problems that can arise and often how things could be done better," the NHC's report says.
As well as greater consumer involvement, the NHC recommends stronger leadership, improved responsiveness to Mâori and
better co-ordination (to share successful initiatives across the system) as avenues for improving health care quality.
The Committee's advice on how to improve the quality of health care in New Zealand contained in Safe Systems Supporting
Safe Care will form the basis of the Minister of Health's Quality Improvement Strategy being developed by the Ministry
of Health for the health sector. The report is available on the NHC's website:
http://www.nhc.govt.nz/publications/qualityfinal.htm
Ends