After Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) information sessions were held in Queenstown, Wānaka and Cromwell in November, the resulting, highly anticipated, plan for the future of publicly funded health services in the region was sent to the minister.
Mr Brown said this week he was considering the plan but there was no date to release the report.
"It will be released following Cabinet consideration in the coming weeks."
At the Cromwell meeting, HNZ hospital funding director Rachel Haggerty said a proposal to shift care out of hospitals and into communities could save Central Otago residents as many as 60,000 trips to access care in Dunedin or Invercargill.
Cancer treatment, mental health and addiction and obstetric care were all identified at the workshops as issues in the region which could be treated closer to home.
In November, HNZ Te Waipounamu community integration group manager Aroha Metcalf said the plan would set a precedent nationally for the way services were delivered in rural and remote communities, by responding to population and geography.
"Through this future-focused planning, we aim to ensure equitable access to safe and effective clinical health services, streamline navigation across the health system, reduce unnecessary travel and deliver better health outcomes while maximising value for investment."
HNZ’s work on clinical services was influenced by the Southern Lakes Health Trust, a region-wide collaboration involving the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago district councils, local MPs, clinicians, rural health providers and Māori health providers.
The trust delivered a strategic report to Health Minister Simeon Brown in May that called on HNZ to accelerate its planning and investment in health services and infrastructure in the region.
Trust project team leader Helen Foot said HNZ’s plan was in draft form and would not be made public until it was approved by Mr Brown.
