Hon Tony Ryall

Minister of Health

2 August 2013
Media Statement       

Health services focused on colonoscopy waits  

Health Minister Tony Ryall says major work is underway to reduce how long patients wait for diagnostics tests, such as colonoscopies.

Colonoscopies help determine if a patient has health conditions related to the large bowel. During this procedure, bowel polyps can also be removed and biopsies taken.

“Around 40,000 colonoscopies were performed by district health boards (DHBs) last financial year – a 20 per cent increase compared to 2008/09,” says Mr Ryall.

“While more people are getting colonoscopies, some people are waiting too long. Major work is underway by DHBs and the Ministry of Health to reduce wait times as part of the $16 million faster diagnostics project.

“Earlier in the year, doctors from across the country developed national referral criteria, which help doctors decide which patients require a colonoscopy and how quickly they require it. This means no matter where you live, all New Zealanders will have the same access to these tests.

“The new referral criteria link in with the newly established wait time indicators which monitor how long patients are waiting for their colonoscopies. The indicators help DHBs identify where there are hold ups in the system and where they can make improvements.

“This is the first time New Zealand has ever had such indicators – colonoscopy waiting times used to be essentially invisible until now.

“The Ministry of Health’s clinical director for bowel cancer, Dr Susan Parry, is travelling around the country visiting DHBs to discuss the waiting times, share learnings and provide support and advice.

“We are starting to see positive results. In May around half of patients requiring urgent colonoscopies met the new waiting time indicator of 14 days. While more work is needed, we are seeing an improvement in how many people are receiving their colonoscopies within the newly set timeframes.

“And our $1.8 million endoscopy quality improvement programme, which has successfully been trialled at four DHBs, will be rolled out to every DHB this year. This programme will lead to improved performance and make it easier for people to have a colonoscopy or gastroscopy.

“Unacceptable waits for colonoscopies is not a new challenge.

“A 2006 nationwide survey found only 42 per cent of patients with potential bowel cancer had a colonoscopy within three months. 1000 Canterbury people waiting for a colonoscopy were culled from waiting lists in 2006 because they were waiting more than 6 months. And in 2007, more than 800 patients with bowel cancer symptoms, including rectal bleeding, waited over six months for a colonoscopy.

“We have achieved shorter waiting times for elective surgery and first specialist appointments and with our focus now moving to waiting times for diagnostic tests, I expect these to also reduce further,” says Mr Ryall.

ENDS

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