Hon Jo Goodhew
Associate Minister of Health
19 February 2014
Aged care sector embrace national assessments
Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew has today announced that all aged residential care providers have signed up to
training for a new national clinical assessment tool, six months earlier than the deadline.
“The tool was developed by a collaborative network of researchers in over 30 countries and has raised the standard of
assessments for older people’s needs.
“Using the interRAI programme, each resident will receive a nationally consistent Comprehensive Clinical Assessment at
least twice a year, or when their health status changes. This system will ensure that all older people are able to
access the care and services they need, regardless of where in New Zealand they live.
“As a result of the tool’s success internationally, in 2012 Government fast-tracked its implementation here.
“Aged residential care providers had been required to sign up to the rollout of this tool by June this year, so we are
now six months ahead of schedule.
“Already some 720 registered nurses have been trained to use the tool and have completed over 10,000 assessments.
“Our focus now is on training more nurses ahead of the tool becoming mandatory for all primary assessments from 1 July
2015.
“To ensure this goal is reached this Government has made an additional $1.5 million available to support each facility
to backfill their registered nurses during training.
“I commend the aged care sector for getting behind this programme which will result in older people getting better care
and consequently better health outcomes,” says Mrs Goodhew.
ENDS