A National Government will bring back targets for important measures like wait times and cancer treatment to focus the health system on achieving better results, and will incentivise GP clinics to lift immunisation rates.

Labour’s approach to health has taken New Zealand backwards. Wait lists and emergency department wait times have soared, childhood immunisation rates have plunged, and New Zealanders are facing longer delays to access urgent cancer treatment or surgery.

That’s unacceptable to National. Put simply, health targets save lives so we will restore them to focus the system on doing better for New Zealanders. We will hold ourselves publicly accountable for progress by publishing the results every quarter, for each region. 

Having transparent targets with regular, robust reporting helps identify where the system is falling short and focuses effort on improving outcomes.

National’s five major targets for health will be:

National is particularly concerned by falling childhood immunisation rates and money spent now to lift them will prevent misery, illness and deaths.

To support National’s childhood immunisation target while lifting immunisation rates for two other at-risk age groups – under 18s and seniors – National will establish a one-off Immunisation Incentive Payments programme for GP clinics that are able to lift immunisation rates for their eligible enrolled patients.

Under our plan, GP clinics will be eligible for a one-off payment of $10 for every enrolled patient on their books provided they achieve each of the following three improvement measures by 30 June 2024:

That means, for example, a clinic with several GPs and 4,500 enrolled patients would receive a payment of $45,000 if it meets the three improvement measures.

National is serious about supporting the health system and getting better results from it for New Zealanders.