Perceptions of health service

19 September 2007
Media Release

Perceptions of health service depend on where you live

Waitakere and Dunedin residents are the most pessimistic of big city dwellers about the state of our health service, while those living in Auckland and Manakau City are likely to be the most positive.

These findings come from new research released by the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.

The research is based on an on-going nationwide ShapeNZ survey, so far covering 747 people, with results updated on Tuesday (18 September), which reveals widespread concerns about the performance of the health service.
A regional analysis of the results shows, 48 percent of Waitakere city residents and 43 percent of Dunedin city residents rated their health services poorly.

By comparison 53 percent of surveyed people living within Auckland City boundaries and 49 percent of those in Manakau felt positive about their public health service.

People on the North Shore, Hamilton and Waitakere felt most strongly that the health service was inefficient, while Manakau residents were more likely to believe the health service was efficient.

A clear majority of urban dwellers felt the standard of health treatment depended on where they lived. This view was held strongest in North Shore, Dunedin and Hamilton, while Christchurch residents were more likely to believe the standard of health service was maintained across the country.
Full details of the survey covering the views of people in most of the main territorial local authority areas are available at http://www.budgetsummit.org.nz.

The results also cover residents’ views on possible significant policy changes to meet the currently unaffordable long term costs of health care. They will be discussed with the Minister of Finance and 80 chief executives at the Business Council’s Business Budget Summit 2007 at Wellington on November 1.

ENDS

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