Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-liga has released a consultation document today which proposes change to the legal status of e-cigarettes.

“Currently the sale and supply of e-cigarettes containing nicotine is prohibited in New Zealand. However people are buying them online and importing directly for personal use,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“The proposal is to make the sale and supply of all e-cigarettes lawful in New Zealand with appropriate controls.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has officially opened the $3.9 million refurbished integrated hospital and health centre, Clutha Health First.

“It’s great to see a community-run hospital and health centre evolve to provide the integrated models of care that the local Clutha community needs,” says Dr Coleman.

“It’s important that all New Zealanders can access timely and high quality healthcare closer to home, that’s a key focus of the refreshed New Zealand Health Strategy. 

A national registry which goes live today will lead to better services and better care and support for people living with a spinal cord impairment, say Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye.

“This registry will collect and record a wide range of information about people throughout their lifetime, from the moment they’re affected by a spinal cord impairment,” says Dr Coleman.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today announced details of a Budget 2016 initiative for specialist support when mental health calls are made to 111 and the mental health crisis teams.

“We know that early intervention can make a huge difference for people with mental health issues and their families,” says Dr Coleman.

“We are focused on ensuring that people get the right help, from the right people, at the right time.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman is calling on clinicians to submit innovative ideas on healthcare.                                                                    

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today welcomed Pharmac’s decision to widen access to the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and varicella (chickenpox) vaccinations.

“In Budget 2016 the Government invested an extra $124 million over four years to enable Pharmac to further increase access to new medicines, benefiting more New Zealanders,” says Dr Coleman.

“The Government’s extra investment gives Pharmac more options on new medicines it can fund. It’s up to Pharmac to make these decisions.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today welcomed Auckland Council’s commitment to the local Healthy Families NZ initiative by removing sugar sweetened beverages from vending machines at their leisure sites.

“Healthy Families NZ is about encouraging people to live healthier lives by making good food choices, being physically active, moderating alcohol consumption and being smoke-free,” says Dr Coleman.

“The initiative challenges communities to think differently about how to address the underlying causes of poor health at a local level.

The Minister of Health says the latest release of preliminary data from the National Patient Flow project helps to further complete the complex picture of referrals for specialist care.

“The data from National Patient Flow will help the sector better understand the outcomes of referrals to hospital specialists,” says Dr Coleman.

“A further three months of data has been released today, along with a nationwide breakdown of data by specialty type.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says New Zealand’s rates of organ donation and transplants are slowly increasing.

 “Organ transplantation is a life-saving treatment and for people with organ failure it’s often the only option available,” says Dr Coleman.

 “Decisions by families of deceased donors and by living donors, together with the compassion and hard work of staff means that more and more patients are receiving transplants.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says this year’s expansion of the Fruit in Schools programme is seeing a record volume of fresh produce delivered to 547 schools across the country, benefitting more than 100,000 students.

"Healthy eating helps fuel the body and the brain, that’s why the Fruit in Schools programme is so beneficial to students," says Dr Coleman.

“Fruit in Schools complements the Childhood Obesity Plan. New Zealand is one of the first OECD countries to have a target and a comprehensive plan to tackle childhood obesity.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes two new innovative pilot programmes which aim to help patients with both diabetes and mental health issues.

“The Diabetes Plan aims to prevent people developing type 2 diabetes and improve the quality of life and health services for those living with diabetes,” says Dr Coleman.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes a new Central Region hospital portal which enables secure and faster sharing of patient information.

A $9.5 million regional clinical portal has gone live in Whanganui DHB and it will be rolled out across MidCentral, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley DHBs.

“This milestone is the first step in delivering improved hospital health services through better patient information sharing and more efficient patient booking procedures,” says Dr Coleman.

A new electronic Patient Report Form (ePRF) used by ambulance officers has been successfully rolled out around most of the country. The new technology, which is part of a joint initiative between St John, the Ministry of Health and ACC, gives ambulance officers access to better patient details, including their NHI information and any previous ambulance call outs.

The ePRF has replaced St John's hand-written clinical records with an electronic version written on a tablet. The ePRF is installed on 600 dedicated tablets. So far, more than 223,000 ePRFs have been completed.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says more people than ever before are receiving a timely colonoscopy, as DHBs prepare for the bowel screening national roll-out programme.

“Delivering better cancer services is a priority. Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in New Zealand,” says Dr Coleman.

“The latest data shows 3,963 patients received a colonoscopy in May 2016, the highest number delivered by DHBs in a single month since the data collection began in 2012.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says a recent survey shows the Green Prescription Active Families programme is delivering positive results.

“More children and young people taking part in Active Families are seeing the benefits of eating healthy food and being active,” says Dr Coleman.

“The latest Green Prescription Active Families Survey Report to April 2016 shows 87 per cent of participating families found they had noticed positive changes, including their child or young person having more energy and more confidence, as well as sleeping better.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says thousands of school new entrants are benefiting from a B4 School Check, and we’re on track to meet the July target.

“B4 School Checks help to ensure children get the best start at school by identifying and addressing any health or developmental problems at an early stage,” says Dr Coleman.

“We are currently two per cent over the target of 83 per cent of children checked by the end of May, and we are on track to meet the end of financial year target of 90 per cent. 

Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye have welcomed ACC’s involvement with a pilot that’s trialling the provision of digitally-based medical support for Northland children and their whanau.

“We want to see more patient-centred healthcare, and better use of current and emerging technology to help patients manage their own health,” says Dr Coleman.

Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga is urging people to make their views known on the Health of Older People (HOP) Strategy which is now released for consultation.

“We are living longer than ever, which is a blessing.  We can add quality to life through a focus on healthy ageing and empowering people to live well,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says patients with musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis are being seen by new mobility action teams.

“The Government invested $6 million in Budget 2015 to create community based multi-disciplinary early intervention teams,” says Dr Coleman.

“The first Mobility Action Teams projects are now accepting patients in Counties Manukau, South Canterbury and Bay of Plenty.

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has welcomed the take up of a new performance standards system by more than a quarter of New Zealand’s councils.

“New Zealanders expect and deserve quality information on council performance and this is a welcome step in the right direction.” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

21 out of 78 (27%) councils have signed up to be foundation members of Local Government New Zealand’s Excellence Programme.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today announced a new $1 million one-off fund aimed at increasing awareness and reducing rheumatic fever in high-risk Māori communities.

“Rheumatic fever is a serious but preventable disease. Children and young people from Māori and Pacific communities are the most vulnerable,” says Dr Coleman.

“The Rheumatic Fever Māori Community Fund targets six DHB regions where most of the Māori rheumatic fever cases occur - Northland, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Lakes, Bay of Plenty and Tairāwhiti.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says this year’s seasonal influenza immunisation programme will be extended to the end of August.

“While we’ve had great uptake of the influenza vaccine this year, there may be people who haven’t got around to getting immunised,” says Dr Coleman.

“To help ensure New Zealanders have the protection they need, we are extending the immunisation programme for eligible people until 31 August.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today announced funding has been approved for a new $11 million Critical Care Unit at Dunedin Hospital.

“Delivering quality health services for the people of Otago and Southland remains a priority for this Government,” says Dr Coleman.

“The Critical Care Unit project is part of Southern DHB’s programme of urgent interim works at the Dunedin and Wakari Hospitals to ensure clinical services can continue while the longer-term redevelopment is carried out.