Better, sooner, more convenient health care in Midlands

22. IntroductionA model for better, sooner, more convenient primaryhealth care in MidlandsDevolution becomes a by-product of what needs to happen rather than the focus of the discussion.Services will be located where they benefit our communities, and funding will be allocated where itwill have the most positive outcome for the people of the Midlands region.Therefore the approach that underpins our response is to:1. Evaluate outcomes as they currently occur in our region.2. Explore areas of failure, or areas where we are underperforming.3. Recommend pathways to improve health outcomes for the people in the Midlands region.4. Establish funding and resource requirements to make it happen.This is a considered response to the optimum role primary health can play in the Midlands region,and an indication of the funding required to provide better, sooner, more convenient primary health.Population Served 499,995Our regionThe Midlands region encompasses the four midland DHB areas of Gisborne, Lakes, Waikato andTaranaki containing a population of almost 500,000 people. With the largest number of people livingin towns with a population of 10,000 or less than any other region in the country, our region faces arange of challenges relating to service provision, access and workforce.The unique demography of our region adds to the challenge facing primary health. With a highproportion of Maori, and their generally poorer health status, coupled with the ageing of themajority Pakeha population, the Midlands region will have to face greater increases in workload thanare likely to occur in many other regions of New Zealand.14