The Government Policy Statement on Health 2024-27 is the public statement of what Government expects the health system to deliver and achieve, and how success will be measured, monitored, and reported.
The GPS sets the direction for the health system as a whole and incorporates the Government’s priorities. It sets the expectations for health entities to make sure they are working towards common goals that matter for New Zealanders.
The GPS ties in with the Health Targets launched by Minister of Health Hon Dr Shane Reti in February 2024.
The development of the GPS was informed by insights gained from extensive public consultation undertaken to inform the development of the New Zealand Health Strategy and associated Pae Ora | Healthy Futures strategies last year.
The GPS also sets clear parameters for the New Zealand Health Plan, which will be published by Health New Zealand in 2024.
The GPS 2024-27 sets out five priority areas for the health system.
- Access – ensuring all New Zealanders have equitable access to the health care services they need, no matter where they live.
- Timeliness – making sure all New Zealanders can access these services in a prompt and efficient way.
- Quality – ensuring New Zealand’s health care and services are safe, easy to navigate, understandable and welcoming to users, and are continuously improving.
- Workforce – having a skilled and culturally capable workforce who are accessible, responsive, and supported to deliver safe and effective health care.
- Infrastructure – ensuring that the health system is resilient and has the digital and physical infrastructure it needs to meet people’s needs now and the future.
The GPS also outlines the Minister for Mental Health's priorities for mental health, addiction and suicide prevention, which align strongly with the overall health system priorities.
Each priority area in the GPS includes a set of key measures, focused on the desired changes. Health entities will report regularly against these measures. The Ministry of Health will report publicly on the results of these GPS measures every year.