More Auckland patients receive specialist assessments
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says new data shows a record number of Auckland DHB patients received a medical or
surgical First Specialist Assessment (FSA) in the last year.
“Increasing access to specialist care has been a priority for this Government. New data shows more New Zealanders than
ever before are receiving FSAs,” says Dr Coleman.
“Across the country around 10 per cent of New Zealanders had one or more FSAs in the last financial year for either
medical or surgical needs.
“In the last financial year 49,599 Auckland DHB patients received a medical or surgical FSA compared to 37,960 in
2008/2009 - an increase of 31 per cent.”
23,004 Auckland DHB patients received a medical FSA in the last financial year, compared to 18,202 in 2008/2009 – a 26
per cent increase. 26,595 Auckland DHB patients received a surgical FSA in the last financial year compared to 19,758 in
2008/2009 - an increase of 35 per cent.
As a result of speeding up access to FSAs more Auckland patients are getting the operations they need. In the last
financial year 13,902 elective surgeries were carried out, compared to 9,114 in 2007/2008 - a 53 per cent increase.
“While there is still more to be done, we are heading in the right direction. The answer to increased demand is to do
more – whether it’s assessments or operations,” says Dr Coleman.
“These improvements are a credit to our dedicated health workforce, and are supported by the $400 million extra invested
into health in Budget 2015.”
This is supported by the $242 million funding increase Auckland DHB has received over the last seven years. This
includes $37 million in new money for this year, taking the DHB’s total funding to $1.248 billion for 2015/2016.
ENDS