Hira funding approved, first release May 2022

eHealthNews.nz: National Systems & Strategy

Sunday, 12 December 2021

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NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Hira webinar Cabinet has approved funding for tranche one of Hira, covering the first 2.5 years of work, and the first release is due in May next year.

In Budget 2021, the Government announced funding of up to $385 million over four years (and a further $15 million in capital funding in 2025/26) for health sector digital infrastructure and capability.

This included funding for Hira, formerly known as the National Health Information Platform, which is an ecosystem of data and digital services that will enable access to a virtual electronic health record, as needed, by drawing together data from trusted sources.

Group manager digital strategy and investment data and digital, Darren Douglass presented at a Ministry of Health webinar on the Hira programme on December 10.

Douglass told viewers that a lot of data exists in the health system, but it is fragmented and difficult to access and while standards also exist, they are not uniformly adopted.

“What this results in is a lot of time spent searching for information and clinical decisions being made in the absence of information that does actually exist, but isn't accessible to the people that need it,” he said.

“Also, a real lack of ability for an individual and those they trust to have access to their own information and to be able to use that information in their interactions with the health system.”

He said the Hira programme is not about the Ministry choosing and delivering solutions, but about looking at problems that need to be solved and trying to join up providers and technology vendors to help solve those problems.

“Hira outcomes will be delivered by multiple sources of data, multiple solutions, multiple technologies that are all able to work together to deliver what individual stakeholders need,” said Douglass.

Hira will be delivered iteratively over three tranches, with a goal to eventually be doing releases every six to eight weeks.

“It will be a market of interoperability services, rather than an exclusive service that everyone has to use,” he explained.

The programme may need to incentivise integration with Hira services and the team will work with local providers on how best to do this.

Douglass said Hira is key to the health system reform that is underway, which is “based on an assumption that we can use digital technology to get services to people in a way that works for them, and in a way that will really enable us to close the equity gap”.

The data and digital team have been working with the Ministry’s Māori Health Directorate on what co-design should look like and recognises it needs to connect with Māori ideals and practices.

“It’s about being aware that the program is not a time limited project, and relationships is really the thing that will see that program through to deliver outcomes,” he told viewers.

Watch the MoH Hira webinars on demand.

Picture: Group manager digital strategy and investment data and digital, Darren Douglass, Hira clinical director Becky George and programme manager digital enablement Sarndrah Horsfall, presenting at a Ministry of Health webinar on the Hira programme on December 10 with facilitator Greg Ward and interpreter.