A pre-budget announcement on healthcare spending in the Taupō electorate will need to be followed by a more substantial announcement later to answer how much, on who, where and when.
Member of Parliament for Taupō Louise Upston said this year’s Budget would bring a boost to urgent care across the Taupō electorate.
In a social media post on May 18 and again in an ‘in case you missed it’ reminder on May 20, the National MP said there would be “new weekend services in Taupō and Tokoroa and extra support in Mangakino and Tūrangi, making it easier for locals to get the care they need, when they need it.”
However, when pressed for more detail her office said it could not yet offer any additional information.
The final locations, service hours and delivery arrangements were being worked through by Health New Zealand as part of their procurement process, said her press secretary.
Extended after-hours services had been identified for Taupō and Tokoroa, her office said, and Mangakino and Tūrangi had been identified for 24/7 on-call support to deliver enhanced care.
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand also said it was too early to say exactly where and how funds would be allocated.
A statement from Jason Power, acting director funding and investment, said services would be tailored to fit local need and workforce availability.
The government had announced investment to maintain existing urgent and afterhours care services, and deliver new and improved services, Power said, and Health New Zealand would now work with providers and the workforce to deliver them.
“This is a complex work programme, and implementation will occur over the next two years. Our primary care teams will work with the sector and other key agencies such as ACC on key next steps,” he said.
New funding would be targeted so patients had access to timely, quality healthcare and rural and remote communities benefitted from better access to urgent care, diagnostics, and overnight support.
“We’re making the most of existing infrastructure to improve access, reduce duplication, and ensure a more consistent experience for patients. In many areas it makes sense to improve existing services rather than build new ones.”
Health NZ’s modernisation of how care was delivered would mean flexible care teams, better use of digital tools, and investing in the workforce to ensure services remained sustainable and available when people needed them most, he said.
After hours service is shared between the general practices in Taupō, with callers likely to be first directed to a triage nurse to assess the level of service needed.
The National Party has announced it is investing $164 million in Budget 2025 to expand urgent and after-hours healthcare services across the country.
Upston’s office said the figure would ensure that 98 per cent of New Zealanders were within a one-hour drive of an urgent care service.
