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This month’s edition of Healthcare Review – OnlineTM introduces the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology’s (MoRST’s) Foresight Project. Contributions introduce the Project and outline its likely future direction.
The Foresight Project is an initiative led by MoRST which aims to encourage an ongoing process of strategic thinking across diverse sectors, groups and communities within New Zealand, with respect to research, science and technology needs. The process is intended to guide the development of a new set of priorities for the Government’s investment in research, science and technology.
At the request of MoRST, health and other sectors have contributed sector submissions. The submissions describe a vision for each sector, outline key outcomes for achieving that vision, and determine what new knowledge would be needed to achieve the vision.
The health sector’s objectives for the Foresight Project align with the Government’s view that research, science and technology will be most effective when applied within a context of broader thinking about possible futures, outcomes and competencies. The health sector’s broad goal for the Project is to incorporate the view of researchers, funders of research, end users of research and other stakeholders in decisions related to investment in research, science and technology.
In her contribution, Sally Wilkinson, Member Health Research Council and Director Health Funding Authority, outlines health sector objectives for the Foresight Project in the form of challenges which the health sector must meet.
These include the need for redefinition of the sector to consider all areas that contribute to the well-being of an individual, considering the concept of a ‘wellness’ sector versus a health sector. Other issues are related to the need for appropriate linkages between researchers, funders and service providers, appropriate application of rapidly expanding knowledge and consideration of ethical issues.
In addition, Wilkinson outlines the principles behind the Foresight Project. She sees that these principles should be applied in Ministry of Health and Health Funding Authority planning, particularly with respect to the need to think beyond the “here and now†without the constraints of today’s problems.
Finally, Wilkinson introduces the approach being used toward implementation of the Project. A health sector strategy has been submitted which shows where it will contribute to the 15 identified target outcomes for the Project. The Health Research Council will commence the next phase of the process and begin to implement the approach to achieving these outcomes. This phase of implementation of the Foresight Project will be further addressed in the paper from Bruce Scoggins included in the next edition of Healthcare Review – OnlineTM on the Foresight Project.
Professor George Salmond, Director Health Services Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, points out that the primary aim of the Foresight Project was to undertake a nationwide consultative process to set priorities for funding of Public Good Science.
However, he highlights that the Project has achieved more than this in that it has engaged communities to think strategically and across sectors about the future role and function of research, science and technology in New Zealand society.
As a result, target outcomes for funding Public Good Science in the year 2000 are more broadly conceived than in the past, with consideration of health promotion and well-being of New Zealanders as individuals, families, communities and society as a whole.
Salmond notes that achievement of the new target outcomes will demand a number of changes including increased capability and capacity to undertake social science research, changes to the organisation and funding of health research, and more prominence for health systems research.
Dr Valerie Orchard is the Science and Research Manager at Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR; http://www.esr.cri.nz). ESR is a Crown Research Institute (CRI) owned by the New Zealand Government and its mission is to “Protect People and their Environment through Scienceâ€.
Orchard sees the Foresight Project as an opportunity for the environmental and occupational health sector to be viewed as a priority for government investment in research, science and technology (RS&T).
Orchard considers the growing importance of environmental health and reviews the capabilities that must be developed to achieve the desired goals in this area. She highlights the important intersectoral links between environmental and occupational health and the environment and health and disability sectors, and the need for Government to increasingly link the environment and health sectors as environmental health assumes greater relevance to New Zealand from both national and international requirements.
However, she also points out that it is critical for the ‘distributed’ environmental and occupational health sector to maintain a strong and integrated focus in its own right to avoid capability and research efforts being scattered responses to problems versus planned efforts to achieve agreed outcomes. Orchard points to education, training and research as ‘threads’ that must be pulled together to provide an holistic approach to the development of policy to address environmental health challenges.
Finally in this edition, Sue Scobie, Strategic Projects Leader, Ministry of Health, focusses on the need for health and disability providers to participate in future research investment decisions.
This approach to research is seen as essential to achieving the Government’s aim to improve, promote and protect the population’s health and independence rather than simply fund health and disability support services.
Scobie outlines major trends which will affect the future health and disability sector including population changes, technological advances, and globalisation. She goes on to highlight the goals generated through Foresight to achieve the key outcome of an improvement in the health, well-being and independence of New Zealanders.
In keeping with the views of the other contributors, Scobie highlights the co-operation and intersectoral collaboration needed to achieve these goals. In Scobie’s view, the health and disability sector must take the leading role in ensuring that other sectors which influence health gain understand the ways which they can work together to improve health.
A later edition of Healthcare Review – OnlineTM will revisit the Foresight Project and further examine some of the implementation issues and the anticipated role of the Foresight Project in Maori health development. Contributions from Bruce Scoggins - Health Research Council, and Helen Lomax - Ministry of Health, will be included in this later edition.
