Targets are a poor barometer of the public health system

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate use

22 November 2016

Health targets are a poor barometer of the public health system

“The national health targets are a poor barometer of how well the public health system is serving patients and their communities, despite the rhetoric coming from the Government,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

He was responding to the latest quarterly report on the Government’s health targets, and Health Minister Jonathan Coleman’s comments that the results show district health boards are continuing to perform well.

Mr Powell says the Minister is using the quarterly results as a soundbyte instead of tackling the serious issues of access to health care, resourcing of the public health system and longstanding workforce shortages.

“But the targets only measure what can be counted which is a small proportion of what public hospitals actually do. They exclude important activities such as acute surgery, chronic illnesses and mental health.

“Thousands of people struggle to get the surgery or other health treatment they need each year, and suffer as a result. It beggars belief that the Minister can laud the health system’s performance when we have such high levels of unmet health need and suffering.

“We also know that the people providing front line clinical care in our hospitals are under great pressure. Not only are they struggling to keep up with the growing demand for health care, but they also have to contend with inadequate resourcing of their hospitals.

“In addition, we’re now seeing the impact of long-standing shortages of hospital specialists, with half of senior doctors surveyed by the ASMS reporting very high levels of burnout and a quarter of specialists, in another survey, indicating they intend to leave within the next five years.

“How can you say the system is working when clearly for many people it is not?”

ENDS

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