Health NZ contacts patients waiting too long to see a specialist, acknowledges ‘challenging situations’

Waitlist delays for specialist appointments are among the worst in decades. Health NZ is now contacting people who are overdue in four specialties - general surgery, gynaecology, ophthalmology and orthopaedics. Nicholas Jones reports.

Record delays to see a specialist have prompted Health NZ to contact people who are overdue to check on their health.

If someone’s condition has changed they will be told to see their GP or health provider, and an updated referral may be needed.

That worries one Northland GP, who told the Herald it will pile more pressure on primary healthcare providers, and will not be properly funded.

The doctor, who asked not to be named, also worried the initiative aimed to reduce wait lists by identifying people who no longer met the threshold for specialist assessment.

“This is reducing the waiting lists by stealth. My concern is it’s the ones with the lowest health literacy who will likely fall off or who can’t afford to see their GP.”

However, Health NZ says the patient contact is to ensure its data is up-to-date, and GPs have been informed as part of its efforts to improve communication with general practice.

“Health New Zealand-Te Whatu Ora is working hard to enable a nationally consistent approach to waitlists so that we can speed up the time people are currently waiting for treatment,” said Duncan Bliss, its director of programmes delivery unit for hospital and specialist services.

“We do, however, acknowledge the challenging situations that many New Zealanders are currently facing with delays in treatment and the impact this can have.”

Health NZ will ask people who have waited more than four months for a non-urgent specialist appointment - the time at which someone is considered overdue - to contact booking teams and update their information.

That’s happening for four specialities: general surgery, gynaecology, ophthalmology and orthopaedics. The initiative will be widened to other specialties from July.

Health NZ’s latest quarterly performance report notes a long-term increase in the number of people waiting more than four months for a first specialist appointment (FSA), which was more than 68,000 (37 per cent of all people waiting for an FSA).

There were more than 30,000 people overdue for a procedure.

Bliss said more first specialist appointments and surgeries were being done than ever - 18,000 more people referred for surgery by their GP were seen for their FSA at the end of December 2023, compared to the previous year, and 11,000 more planned care (elective) surgeries were done.

However, an ageing population is contributing to soaring demand. High levels of emergency cases and workforce shortages have also restricted planned care.

Certain specialities and regions are under more pressure. In orthopaedics, for example, more than half of people waiting for a first specialist appointment are overdue.

Last month the Herald reported on the case of Botany resident Bob Menzies, 72, who is overdue knee surgery.

“The other night I simply went to turn over in bed, and my knee just locked up,” Menzies said of the daily pain.

“It’s all bone on bone now - I walk and hear my knee clicking. If I hold my hand on my knee and move my leg backwards and forwards I feel the bones grating.”

Nicholas Jones is an investigative reporter at the Herald. He won the best individual investigation and best social issues reporter categories at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.