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To From Date Subject
Regional Directors, District Directors, COOs, CMOs and GMs P&F Dale Bramley, Peter Watson, Dale Oliff, Martin Hefford 20 July 2022 Cross boundary movement of patients
Tēnā koutou We are writing to you today in response to some queries we have received regarding the referring of patients outside of the pre-existing district boundaries. Since July 1st when district health boards transitioned to being districts of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, we have been advised of instances where primary care, services and clinicians are considering referrals referred outside of their region, for services that would normally be offered by their local or regional provider. We are now one organisation, and inter-district flow charges no longer apply. This means that over time flows can change to suit the needs of local communities. However, districts are only resourced to manage current flows. Changes need to be planned and properly resourced to avoid overloading people. In the interim patients should continue to be referred to the local and regional service provider, using the same referral pathways and processes that were in place pre-July 1st. If there is to be any change to this policy, we will update with a specific national communication with further detail. We also welcome your thoughts about where changes to flows make sense from a referrer or receiver perspective. We would be grateful if this clarification could be shared with providers in your district, service leaders and clinicians to confirm that referral pathways for patients to local services remain unchanged. If out of district/region referrals are received, please return them to the referrer.
Dr Dale Bramley Interim National Director Hospital and Specialist Services
Dr Peter Watson Interim National Clinical Leadership - Medical
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz Private Bag 93-503, Northshore City 0740
Dale Oliff Clinical Leadership – Nursing and Midwifery
Martin Hefford Acting Director, Primary, Community, Rural