Transforming for better health outcomes

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand was established on 1 July 2022 to achieve Pae Ora - Healthy Futures for all New Zealanders.

Our aim is to have a health system that is more equitable, accessible, cohesive, and people-centred, and that will benefit the health and wellbeing of every New Zealander.

By bringing together 29 different entities into one organisation – of nearly 90,000 people who are passionate about delivering Pae Ora – we moved to one national and consistent way of working, are removing duplication and consolidating our work programmes.

There are huge opportunities to infuse equity in everything we do, drive efficiencies through economies of scale, improve the quality of our services, work more strategically, and reorientate our services around our communities and people we serve.

By simplifying how our teams are set up, we will reduce cost and allow us to reinvest in frontline delivery.

Through all the changes we will consistently challenge ourselves on what benefits we expect to see, and whether we are achieving those benefits.

In January 2023, we began organising ourselves for change by forming into coherent teams - to work together nationally and across regions. The result has been better information sharing, more joined up national, regional, and local leadership and greater opportunity to work more efficiently to support our frontline teams to deliver healthcare.

In March 2023, we began our key phase of change that aims to simplify and unify our structures further. We want to be nationally planned and coordinated for consistency; regionally empowered to implement and integrate and provide locally tailored delivery of care. We are working towards flat structures over time with as few layers as possible. 

We want to recognise the work that has been done to date by all of our people.

We would like to see our new way of working implemented ahead of winter, and to be well placed with permanent leadership structures to support delivery during seasonal demands.

Our change programme balances ensuring we continue to manage the demands and delivery requirements of today’s health system operations, while we design and develop our future organisation.

We will be consulting in four waves, starting from 30 March through to 1 July 2023.

The proposals will cover delivery and enabling roles and functions.

We have encouraged our people to participate in the consultations to enable us to get it right and that we put in place the right structures for the future.

These working groups are organised around our Clinical, Delivery and Enabling Leadership functions. Within each group there are a number of workstreams, each at different points in the development of their operating model.

The workstreams listed below have an Independent Chair, along with members who provide challenge, external critique and experience from outside jurisdictions or sectors. Each group includes Māori experience to embed partnership and equity.

Other workstreams will work under a CEO-led ‘design lite’ process, with an interim Lead managing the stock take, design and consultation process.

Hospital & Specialist Services

Chair: Ken Whelan

Email: ContactHSS@health.govt.nz

Read more about the people, scope, timelines and how to get involved in this workstream on the Hospital & Specialist Services Workstream page.

Commissioning

Chair: David Moore

Contact: Helene.carbonatto@health.govt.nz

Read about the commissioning workstream, who’s involved in the project, and when a draft commissioning model will be completed on the Commissioning Workstream page.

Data & Digital

Chair: Wayne McNee

Contact: ddopmodel@health.govt.nz

Read the Data & Digital Operating Model Terms of Reference

Infrastructure & Investment

Chair: Wayne McNee

Email: HIU@health.govt.nz

Read the Infrastructure & Investment Operating Model Terms of Reference

The progress of individual working groups is outlined below.

The table indicates progress to date and when each group anticipate completing three key activities:

• Future vision (FV)
• Current state analysis (CSA)
• Proposed functional operating model (PFOM) 

There are three main phases to the design process:

Assess current state and design

• Roles and functions
• Analysis of and recommendations on current ways of working
• Assess strategic alignment

Design future state

• Structure and governance
• Capabilities
• Culture
• Talent
• Processes and business systems
• Technology
• Interdependencies with other functions

Roadmap for implementation

• Handover to permanent National leader and Change Management Office (CMO) for integration with enterprise view
• Roadmap to reach future operating model
• Consultation for change

Role of the working groups

Working groups lead the design and development (based on clearly defined templates, standards and deliverables) of our:

• Core functions – what work we do
• Capabilities – what skills and resources we require
• Supporting and required behaviours –and values
• Structure – how will we organise the work

They do this in the context of our:

• Vision and strategy
• Performance expectation
• Design principles
• Insights and intelligence

In their work they are supported by our enabling functions:

• People
• Technology
• Physical infrastructure

Within this context, the working groups will work in 12-week sprints to complete the process below. Their work will be coordinated and integrated by our Change Management Office.