To General Practices and Community Providers
From: PHOs
Date: April 2024
Subject: Hospital and Specialist Services - Patient Communication Project - Stage 1
Kia ora colleagues,
We have been advised by Health New Zealand|Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) that they will be contacting people, from 6 May through to 30 June 2024, who have been waiting longer than four months for a non-urgent First Specialist Assessment (FSA).
This wait list is often referred to as the ESPI2 wait list.
This is a development of the initiative from May 2023, when people waiting longer than four months for a planned care procedure were contacted. If you would like a copy of the summary evaluation, please email HSSPlannedcare@tewhatuora.govt.nz
People will be directly contacted by the hospital’s booking team either by letter, email, or text.
This is a targeted initiative and will only apply to the following specialties: General Surgery, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology and Orthopaedics.
The purpose of a nationally consistent approach to contacting people is to acknowledge and apologise for the delay, make sure the information HNZ has on file is correct, and advise people to contact their GP if their condition changes or if they wish to discuss their options.
What impact will this have on general practice?
We anticipate the impact to general practice will be minimal as people will be asked to contact the booking teams at the local outpatient clinics to update their information.
However, people are also being advised to see their GP if their condition has changed, in which case an updated referral may need to be sent.
To ensure GPs have the information they need to answer any patient queries attached is a series of frequently asked questions.
Who can you contact if you need any further information?
If you would like to find out more about this initiative, you can contact HSSPlannedcare@tewhatuora.govt.nz
Next steps
The intention is to further develop the nationally consistent communication for people waiting over four months for a non-urgent FSA or treatment. HNZ will keep colleagues in the primary care sector updated on activities.
Ngā mihi nui