Acting CITO confronts ‘elephant in the room’ at Digital Health Week

NEWS - eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth

A reduction in funding for digital initiatives was addressed as the "elephant in the room" by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora acting chief information technology officer at Digital Health Week 2024.

Darren Douglass said during his keynote address that “the past year has brought immense change, the most pressing of which for us is the reduction in funding for digital initiatives.

“This is not a minor adjustment. It requires a significant shift in how we approach our work. We must manage delivery within our budget and maximise the value of every investment we make,” Douglass acknowledged.

The comments came as Health NZ consults with staff on a new operating model for ‘digital services’, which will reduce the number of full time roles by 47 percent in an effort to save $100 million a year.

“While we may wish for easier circumstances, we have a responsibility to make choices, to act decisively in response to the challenges we have been given,” he said.

Douglass told conference attendees that the restructuring follows a year in which more than 300 projects were completed, including the launch of the Aotearoa Immunisation Register, and enhanced cybersecurity.

However, he said the focus now is on operational sustainability and performing well. 

“Our ambition is unchanged, but our immediate focus needs to be on performing: lifting productivity, living within our means, and leveraging what we have to enable local and regional care delivery,” Douglass said.

“This moment of recalibration is difficult, but it is also an opportunity to refocus - to partner, innovate, imitate, simplify, and standardise.”

He pointed to Health NZ’s development a 10-year digital investment plan which integrates digital and physical infrastructure.

This will focus on achieving a shared digital health record accessible to patients and clinicians, expanding telehealth services, and addressing systemic inequities through inclusive digital solutions. 

“These ambitions require modern, secure platforms and collaboration with industry partners. We must build confidence in our ability to deliver,” Douglass told Digital Health Week.

 “This may not be the course we envisaged last year, but sometimes when you are climbing, you need to change your route to get to the summit.”

Health Minister Shane Reti also addressed the conference and said that Health NZ’s digital infrastructure faces significant challenges. 

“It is inconsistent, fragmented and outdated, lacking seamless connectivity across the country to build a robust health system. We must centralise foundational services like digital infrastructure, ensuring consistency, interoperability and security nationwide,” Reti told attendees.

“With my clinical informatics background, I am mindful of the ongoing importance of digital services and data in the success of our health system. As Health New Zealand works to stabilise its immediate challenges, our gaze must lift towards the future, a future underpinned by digital innovation.” 

Image: Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora acting chief information technology officer Darren Douglass speaking at Digital Health Week 2024

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