Planning is actively underway to guide the future of health services in the Central Lakes region – one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing areas – with initial workshops and stakeholder engagement sessions already in progress.

This planning will help to determine what future publicly funded clinical services may be required in the area, how they will be delivered, and where they will be provided. The project is on track to deliver a Clinical Services Plan by December, with planning for implementation beginning in the new year.

Dr. Pete Watson, the new Te Waipounamu Executive Regional Director, attended a workshop held in August along with other regional and Southern health leaders and service providers from across the continuum of care.

“Clinical Services Planning is an important part of what we do to ensure that communities get access to quality health services,” Dr Watson says.

Dr Watson encouraged workshop attendees to think to the future of the integrated health system, including digital technologies, new innovations, different ways of working and using different workforces.

Attendees agreed on key focus areas, including the need to enhance existing models of care that are working well, address challenges and identify how new and innovative models can serve our local populations now and into the future.

Health New Zealand’s Te Waipounamu Community Integration Group Manager, Aroha Metcalf, says the Central Lakes population is forecast to increase from 72,000 to more than 100,000 over the next 10 years.

On top of this, visitors to the area can more than double the population in Queenstown and Wānaka during peak holidays, and seasonal workers can result in large numbers of people not enrolled in primary health care.

Metcalf says planning will consider how patients move through the health system within the Southern district and will incorporate secondary hospitals in Dunedin and Invercargill as well as rural hospitals in the district.

“This planning process is essential to shaping the future mix, delivery model, and distribution of publicly funded health services for the Central Lakes region,” Metcalf says.

“We are committed to working closely with the community, papatipu rūnanga (local Iwi), and key stakeholder groups to ensure access to high-quality and appropriate healthcare services. Community views and experiences of the health system will be a cornerstone of the clinical services planning process.” Metcalf says.

Planning will consider the Rural Urgent Unplanned Care Framework, as well as other national frameworks, to help determine the appropriate services for respective communities.

“This planning will set a precedent nationally for the way services are delivered in rural and remote communities by responding to population and geography in equal measure,” Metcalf says.

“Through this future-focused planning, we aim to ensure equitable access to safe and effective clinical health services, streamline navigation across the health system, reduce unnecessary travel, and deliver better health outcomes while maximising value for investment.”