Letter to the Minister: Cuts to home support

Hon Tony Ryall, Minister of Health
Parliament Buildings, Wellington 

9 February 2010

Dear Minister

Re: Cuts to home support

We are becoming increasingly concerned about the cuts to home support currently being carried out by a number of DHBs, and wish to know whether these money-saving measures have your approval.  

If they do, how do you reconcile them with the National government’s stated aim of “improving home-based care” (point 5 on National’s pre-election plan for aged care) and with the Ministry’s stated intention to place greater “emphasis on development of home and community based services”? (MoH website)

If the cuts do not have your support, what steps will you be taking to ensure that DHBs provide older people with the home support services they need to live in their own homes safely and with dignity?  

Like the government, Age Concern New Zealand wishes to see older people given “the ability to make choices in later life about where they want to live, and to receive the support to do so.” (MoH website).  Can you provide our organisation with an assurance that this goal is not in danger of being compromised by the DHBs? 

Yours sincerely

Ann Martin            Liz Baxendine
Chief Executive     President

Age Concern New Zealand

EXTRACT FROM MOH WEBSITE

Home Support Services

District Health Boards fund services that enable older people to be supported to live in their own homes. Home support services give older people the ability to make choices in later life about where they want to live, and to receive the support to do so. 

The Ministry of Health's work programme includes a focus on the development of home and community support services for older people while working to improve health outcomes for older people. An important aspect of this is development of a continuum of care approach for older peoples’ support services, and a greater emphasis on development of home and community based services.