New Zealand’s future health system focused on workforce transformation

SECTOR UPDATE - Workday

New Zealand's 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP) has workforce development as a central pillar, with modern platforms like Workday positioned to address staffing challenges through consolidated employee records and mobile-enabled self-service.

Workday New Zealand director Jonathan Brabant says the country has traditionally performed well in patient care outcomes compared to other developed nations.

"But we have seen a definite shift in the post-Covid years around workforce and starting to understand the direct correlation to patient outcomes and care through investment in your workforce," he explains.

He says the HDIP’s focus on implementing core digital platforms aligns with global trends, with health organisations investing in fewer, more interoperable systems that can support long-term innovation.

Modern AI agents can access multiple platforms and data sources, but this requires careful platform selection to avoid huge integration costs in the future.

"What platforms and what technology New Zealand chooses now will have a lasting impact for decades to come," Brabant says.

He describes a fundamental challenge facing Health New Zealand as the absence of a centralised employee record system.

"Within New Zealand there is not a central record of all the employees, where they work, their right to work, their certifications and their contracts," Brabant says. 

Creating a core record or ‘spine’ of employee information and transparency around national vacancies helps to keep staff within the organisation as they can see what opportunities are available around the country and what skills they need to apply.

"How can we develop our people within health if they have no visibility of the opportunities they have to either progress in the department where they sit or to relocate to a new geography?" he asks.

Workday's mobile-first approach puts HR functions directly into employees' pockets, enabling them to check pay slips, view leave balances and access career development resources from their mobile devices.

Brabant says international healthcare organisations implementing modern workforce platforms have achieved substantial financial returns alongside improved staff retention.

Advocate Health in the United States, with 150,000 employees, achieved a 44 percent reduction in time-to-fill positions after implementing Workday, equating to $100 million in cost savings.

The platform also has multiple languages, supporting New Zealand's diverse healthcare workforce in an employee’s preferred language.

“The technology empowers people,” Brabant says.

"Everything is in their pocket. It is all on one application, it is all secure, it is all configured for their role and their location.” 

Source: Workday media release

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