Revolutionizing Health Workforce Regulation for Faster Patient Access

Patients will get faster access to care under new changes to modernise health workforce regulation, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

Outdated and bureaucratic red tape is holding back our health workforce and keeping patients waiting too long for care, Mr Brown says.

These changes are about putting patients first. By streamlining regulation, recognising overseas qualifications more quickly, and making regulators more accountable, we’ll get more health professionals into the workforce sooner, reduce wait times, and improve access to care across the country.

Regulatory decisions directly affect how many doctors, nurses, and other health professionals are available to patients. These changes aim to speed up access to care and support new ways of delivering health services, while keeping patient safety front and centre.

Right now, patients and the Government have almost no way to ensure 18 different regulators are working in the same direction. These changes give patients a voice and let us set clear expectations across the system, so regulators focus on improving access to care.

Mr Brown says the changes will align New Zealand with Australia, where Health Ministers direct regulators to ensure workforce needs are considered. They will also give Ministers tools to set clear expectations to support new models of care and streamline registration so qualified professionals can start work more quickly.

The responsibility for setting clinical standards and scopes of practice will always be with regulatory authorities who will continue to be responsible for maintainting patient safety. This is about making sure the system is joined up, responsive, and working for patients.

By listening to patients and setting system-wide expectations, we’ll make it easier to attract, train and retain the workforce New Zealand needs to deliver access to timely, quality care.