Ryall to look into respiratory care problems

Health Minister Tony Ryall says he will look closely at a report showing more than half New Zealand's district health boards (DHBs) do not meet minimum standards of respiratory care.

The study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, found that of the 21 DHBs only 10 were complying with minimum standards of care.

The main deficiencies related to inadequate medical staffing rates, lack of quality assurance measures and insufficient laboratory testing -- sleep and lung function.

Mr Ryall said he would consider the report in detail and was keen to involve doctors and nurses in a national approach to improve services.

"We've inherited a lot of problems from the previous government around workforce issues," he told NZPA.

"The answer lies in greater cooperation between primary care and hospitals."

Green Party health spokesman Kevin Hague called on Mr Ryall to "take action rather than just talk about the needs for DHBs to collaborate more."

The study said the lack of monitoring of such basic activities as outpatient clinic attendances, oxygen and sleep services, and the non-implementation of treatment guidelines were of particular concern.

Commenting on the study, Christchurch community respiratory physician Roland Meyer said the regional differences in care were clearly linked to the critical medical workforce problems New Zealand was experiencing.

Dr Meyer called for more clinical leadership and a greater visibility and louder voice for the relatively small number of New Zealand respiratory specialists and their professional body, the thoracic society.

The study used a survey undertaken in late 2006 by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, and followed a 2004 evaluation of the DHBs' performance against published standards.