新西兰政府启动老年护理体系改革：部长级咨询小组提出40项建议
人口老龄化加剧，政府将研究养老护理融资模式及个人与政府的费用分担方式。
卫生部副部长 Casey Costello 女士今天表示，部长级咨询小组（Ministerial Advisory Group）关于老年护理的独立报告，为未来的政策和资金决策提供了有价值的参考。
Costello 女士表示：“长期以来，历届政府一直将老年护理问题一再拖延。现政府成立这一咨询小组，就是希望能够获得改革方面的意见和建议。
“新西兰目前拥有非常完善的老年护理服务，这离不开众多敬业工作人员的努力。然而，目前的服务资助模式已经过时，也没有充分考虑未来所需要的投资。现行模式彼此割裂，无法形成一个协调一致的完整体系。
“我们在成立咨询小组时就明确表示，希望建立一个真正完善的老年护理体系，为人们在正确的地点提供正确类型的护理服务，让他们能够根据自身所需，在不同类型的护理服务之间顺利过渡，同时使服务更加容易获得和使用，更加公平，并且能够随着人口老龄化长期持续运行。
“部长级咨询小组提交了一份内容详尽的报告，阐述了他们认为建立这一体系所需要进行的改革。我感谢他们所做的工作。”
该小组的成立目的，是向政府提供独立、专业的意见，帮助新西兰应对老年护理领域面临的挑战，特别是在人口不断增长和老龄化的情况下。
咨询小组受委托研究支持可持续老年护理服务所需要的融资模式，包括如何在接受护理服务的人士与政府之间合理分担费用，以及如何加强老年护理服务与更广泛医疗卫生服务之间的衔接。
部长级咨询小组的报告提出了建立综合性老年护理体系的愿景，并提出了40项具体建议。
Costello 女士表示，政府将在作出任何政策和资金方面的决定之前，认真研究报告中的各项建议。
她说：“这是一个意义重大的问题，对人们的生活、个人和政府的财政状况、整个行业以及更广泛的医疗卫生体系都有实际影响。我们必须作出正确的决定。
“我们已经要求卫生部与其他政府机构合作，对这些建议进行进一步研究，并向政府提供相关意见，为未来改革老年护理体系的政策和资金决策提供支持。”
在开展长期改革工作的同时，政府也持续投入资金，以确保老年护理行业的可持续发展并推动运营方面的改善。
过去三年，政府向老年护理行业提供的资金总额增加了4.46亿新西兰元。
今年针对居家护理（home care）领域的资金增加方案目前仍在协商之中。
Ministerial Advisory Group’s report welcomed
The Ministerial Advisory Group’s independent report on aged care provides valuable insights to help guide future policy and funding decisions, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today.
“For too long, governments have kept kicking the aged care can down the road,” Ms Costello says. “This Government appointed the Group because we wanted ideas for reform.
“New Zealand has very good aged care, provided by dedicated people. However, the way that these services are funded is outdated and does not recognise the future investment required. The current model is siloed and doesn’t deliver a cohesive system.
“We said when we established the Group that we want a proper aged care system that provides the right type of care in the right place – and that allows people to transition between the type of care they need, that’s easier to navigate and access, that’s fair, and that is sustainable and will endure as our population ages.
“The Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) has produced a substantial report that sets out its views on the change that would be required to create that system. I want to thank them for their work.”
The Group was established to provide independent, expert advice to the Government about how New Zealand can address the challenges in aged care, particularly as our population grows and ages. It was asked to consider the funding model needed to support sustainable services, how costs could be reasonably shared between those receiving care and the Government, and how aged care services can better connect with wider health services.
The MAG’s report sets out a vision and 40 recommendations to develop an integrated aged care system.
Ms Costello said that the Government will consider the report’s recommendations carefully before making any policy and funding decisions.
“This is a significant issue which has a real impact on peoples’ lives, personal and government finances, the sector and the wider health system. We need to make the right decisions.
“We have directed the Ministry of Health to work with other agencies to develop advice for the Government on the recommendations, to support future policy and funding decisions to reform the aged care system.”
The Government has invested to ensure the on-going sustainability of the sector and to drive operational improvements while longer-term work was undertaken, with funding to the sector increasing by a total of $446 million in the last three years. This year’s funding uplift for the home care sector is still being negotiated.
