Government Digital Health

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Ministry of Health Structure

The Technology and Digital Services business unit oversees the Ministry’s eHealth work programme, which aims to achieve the strategic outcomes described in the New Zealand Health Strategy and Digital Health 2020.

“The health sector will need to be adaptable in coming years as developing technology changes how services can be delivered in ways we do not yet understand.” Quote from Minister of Health 2016

New Zealand Health Strategy

The New Zealand Health Strategy: Future direction outlines the high-level direction for New Zealand’s health system over the 10 years from 2016 to 2026. It lays out some of the challenges and opportunities the system faces; describes the future we want, including the culture and values that will underpin this future; and identifies five strategic themes for the changes that will take us toward this future.

Download the strategy document

The New Zealand Health Strategy: Roadmap of actions 2016 identifies 27 areas for action over five years to make the Strategy happen. The actions are organised under the five themes of the Strategy. This roadmap will be updated over the 10-year lifetime of the Strategy.

Download the roadmap document

Digital Health 2020

Digital Health 2020 was established by the Ministry of Health to progress the core digital technologies presented in the New Zealand Health Strategy. It guides the strategic digital investments that are expected to occur across the health and disability sector in the next five years, 2016–2020. It will also align sector investment with value delivery and encourage health organisations to invest with greater clarity and confidence.

It has five core components:

an electronic health record for New Zealanders - a single longitudinal view of health information accessible to consumers, carers and decision-makers.
health and wellness dataset - access to health data to support government, health organisations and individuals to make evidence-based decisions aligned to the Government's social investment approach
a preventative health IT capability - information and enabling ICT capability to support and improve the targeting of screening, immunisation and other public health initiatives
digital hospitals - to lift the digital capability within hospitals and the integration with the wider sector
regional IT foundations - eHealth foundations that support regional access to health information, delivery of the single electronic health record and lifting digital capability within hospitals.

NZ Vision for Health Technology

“The world of technology is advancing rapidly and affecting many aspects of our daily lives such as the way we shop, bank and travel. Health services are also being transformed by emerging technologies, changing what, how, where and when services are provided, as well as who provides them.”

A 'living' vision for health technology was developed in April 2017 with engagement from over 70 stakeholders and consumers, in April five workshops and online discussions. Content for the vision was created, themes were defined, and consumer and clinician narratives developed. The vision will guide the development of the digital health strategy which will include actions and investment priorities.

“Technology is revolutionising health systems. Robots and other automated systems are carrying out repetitive and predictable processes, advanced analytics are providing new insights into complex health problems, and research breakthroughs in human science are making ‘personalised medicine’ a reality for more and more people.”

Read more about the Ministry of Health digital health vision