At present, access to after-hours and urgent care varies depending on where people live. Long wait times and travel distances are common in some areas, especially outside urban centres. This package will help address those challenges.
The aim is to ensure 98% of New Zealanders can access urgent care within one hour’s drive of their home.
This investment supports the roll-out of a new and improved urgent and after-hours healthcare framework, developed by Health New Zealand and ACC, informed by after-hours and urgent care providers. The framework aims to establish a robust and equitable urgent and after-hours care system for New Zealand.
Over the next 2 years, new and improved services will be introduced.
New and improved urgent and after-hours healthcare [PDF, 1.1 MB]
New and improved urgent and after-hours healthcare [DOCX, 2.9 MB]
The RUUC project was commissioned under the Interim New Zealand Health Plan as part of a broader commitment to review and improve rural urgent care services, including the PRIME service.
All recommendations have been considered in the development of the New and Improved Urgent and After-Hours Care Framework. Most recommendations are being incorporated directly into the national rollout of this Framework over the next two years.
Led by Health NZ, in partnership with ACC, and guided by an external RUUC Advisory Group – including rural clinicians, Māori health providers, sector experts, and rural health leaders – the project ran from April to November 2024.
The factsheets below provide a national and regional overview of the new and improved services to be rolled out.
National overview [PDF, 170 KB]
Northern region information [PDF, 158 KB]
Midland region information [PDF, 160 KB]
Central region information [PDF, 167 KB]
We know the biggest cost and constraint in urgent care is workforce. This package builds on primary care workforce funding announced by the Government earlier this year that will help to recruit and retain more health workers, including GPs and Nurse Practitioners.
We’ll also support more team-based, innovative models using the full range of health professionals to deliver safe, sustainable care.
These changes will be rolled out over the next 2 years, with services tailored to the needs, size, and location of each community.
Key changes across the country:
Health NZ will now begin working region-by-region with urgent care providers and communities to develop detailed implementation plans to support the introduction of the new and improved services.
Planning is well underway for further additional services as part of the roll-out this year including:
Planning for further new developments in 2026 and 2027 has begun as part of the Government's investment and the new framework roll-out.
Funding agreements between Health New Zealand and the first wave of rural communities in the programme — Tūrangi, Twizel, Golden Bay, Te Kuiti, Coromandel and Aotea Great Barrier Island — have been finalised and implementation will begin in the coming months.
Each prototype will test practical improvements to rural services, such as improved access to diagnostics, and digital tools to back up rural clinicians.