Tech ‘front and centre’ for new Health NZ board

NEWS  - eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth

Technology is ‘front and centre’ for Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and the new board has made the first of its decisions around investing in core systems, says recently appointed board chair Mark Darrow.

The  board has established a Digital Transformation Committee to oversee the Health Digital Investment Plan (HDIP) and has approved a technology pathway to invest in an integrated digital platform to support finance, workforce, and supply chain functions.

Darrow tells eHealthNews that there is legacy technology debt across the organisation and the report from the last board meeting shows “technology is front and centre”.

He says the new Digital Transformation Committee will include Board and external members to overview the “ambitious” 10-year HDIP and its execution, saying “we will more realistically have to break that down into smaller time periods with clear goals and outcomes”.

Human Capital Management (HCM) will be a priority to support the workforce and will include consolidation of all HR systems to improve payroll, workforce planning, time management and rostering. 

The organisation is still dealing with historic Holiday Pay issues in two hospital districts and finance systems are also a priority.

The summary of a board meeting on May 13 says “the Board considered progress with Health NZ’s digital transformation programme, including the proposed implementation of a modern, integrated digital platform to support finance, workforce, and supply chain functions. 

“After extensive rigorous planning and analysis, the Board has approved a technology path subject to conditions being met, recognising the importance of digital systems in improving service integration, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.”

Darrow says the board is finalising a short list of priorities as part of its strategy work, and “technology will be at or near the top of that list, particularly in the context of HCM. 

“I have heard the feedback about legacy systems and we need to work out where the quick wins are to support frontline staff at the same time as building the future system. 

“Health New Zealand is now pushing decision making out to regions and districts so having digital tools with the associated support as close to the frontline as possible will enable quality decisions to be made where it counts,” he says.

In a public statement about resetting the direction for Health NZ, Darrow singled out technology as one of three key priority areas for the year ahead, saying there is work to do to “improve our digital systems and tools”. 

“Getting that right will make a real difference to how people work every day,” he says.

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