Partners in Care programme to strengthen the consumer and whānau voice in Aotearoa New Zealand’s future health system

The Health Quality & Safety Commission’s Partners in Care programme is undertaking a joint work programme with the Health and Disability Review Transition Unit, within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, which will strengthen the consumer and whānau voice in our future health system.

Part of the vision is for a health system with consumers and whānau at its heart, where their voices are strongly embedded in the planning, delivery, evaluation and governance of health services.

Partners in Care is developing a consumer health forum infrastructure and bolstering the Health Quality & Safety Commission as a centre of excellence for consumer and whānau engagement. It will also advise new agencies including Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority.

A set of expectations for how the health system will engage with consumers and whānau – called the consumer/whānau engagement code – has been drafted, which will support the legislation being developed in due course. Once enacted, these expectations will guide all health entities.

Early development of these expectations has included establishing a draft set of principles for the code with input from the Commission’s consumer network, consumer advisory group, Te Rōpū Māori and the chairs and deputy chairs of the district health board consumer councils.

The code will be available here for comment and feedback by the end of September 2021, with wider consultation taking place up until March 2022.

How to get involved

We want to hear your comments and feedback on:

• the draft consumer/whānau engagement code, once available (end of September)
• developing a consumer health forum infrastructure
• what you would like to see in a centre of excellence for consumer and whānau engagement.

Email consumers@hqsc.govt.nz to find out more.

Please check this page for regular updates on this important programme of work.

A chance to have your say on the draft consumer/whānau code

The draft consumer/whānau code is in development and you can have your say and provide feedback. Watch this space in the coming weeks to find out more about how to sign up online to join the consumer health forums.