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The Devastating Effects of Health Care Cuts
United Community Action Network (UCAN)
The Devastating Effects of Health Care Cuts
“Two tragic events in Wellington’s southern suburbs of Newtown and Kilbirnie calls attention to the devastating consequences of inadequate health funding, including the ongoing health funding cuts, for mental health consumers”, says spokesperson, Debbie Leyland, from the Wellington based health advocacy group, United Community Action Network (UCAN).
“The recent death in the Kilbirnie supported accommodation facility, Mahora House, highlights the dangers caused by continual cuts to health-based funding from Capital and Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) to community based health services” Leyland states.
Mahora House was established in 1985 to support people who were being ‘deinstitutionalised’ from long-term mental health facilities and moving into community-based settings. In 2013 CCDHB 2013 withdrew funding from Mahora House. In March 2016 a resident at Mahora house was fatally assaulted by another resident.
This event follows a similarly tragic event in 2009 at Te Menenga Pai, otherwise known as Mansfield House. The murder of one resident and conviction and imprisonment of another was a traumatic experience for residents, staff, friends and whanau. The Coroner’s investigation found that Mansfield House was chronically short staffed and frequently had an occupancy rate beyond capacity. The report was critical of the role of the CCDHB in its support of a facility with such high need. The Coroner stated that if the controlling health authority, in this case CCDHB, “devolves its responsibilities” to another service then it must continue to ensure ongoing audits ensure that care is delivered appropriately.
“Will an investigation into the recent tragedy at Mahora House present similar findings from the events of 2009? Did the DHB heed the warnings from the Coroner’s report?”, asks Leyland. “The CCDHB has a mandated role to improve, promote, and protect the health of people and communities and to reduce health disparities”
In 2010 the Minister of Health instructed the CCDHB to commence a policy of clawing back savings of $60 million in a three year period. The CCDHB CEO Ken Whelan resigned stating then that he could not “cut costs any further without undermining patient care”. Many of these ‘savings’ came from restructuring funding streams to community based services, ultimately forcing many to merge, reduce the services offered, or to close. Some of the service losses in the Wellington southern suburbs have been advocacy and Midwifery services and drop-in and activity centres.
UCAN calls on the CCDHB to halt all plans to reduce funding to any community-mental health focused services and for an investigation to assess the impacts of the loss of services that have supported the health and well-being of some of the most marginalised and vulnerable within our communities. Are these on-going cuts making inequalities worse? UCAN feels the answer is yes.
“Tragedies hit harder in small communities” says Leyland, “It’s no longer health, it’s Hell”.
ENDS
Fewer and fewer New Zealanders able to access the health care they need, when they need it.
For release on Thursday 14 February 2013
The United Community Action Network (UCAN), which was established to protest cuts to community based primary health care services is concerned that the people who need health care the most in this country are becoming less and less able to access it.
UCAN spokesperson, Debbie Leyland says, “The Government keeps telling us that the health of our children is a priority but everything they are doing shows that they couldn’t care less. Free health care for children has been extended but in many communities there is nowhere to get it from.”
“Funding is being slashed to community health providers who work with refugees, migrants and those on low incomes, and many are being forced to cut services. Last year Newtown Union Health lost its midwifery services because of a 7.8 percent cut to it budget.”
“UCAN is not the only group worried about the impact of health equity. Tomorrow the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners is holding a quality symposium with a focus on how to influence improvements in children’s health and at the Living Wage symposium people from all around the country are coming together to make the links between a decent living wage and health and well-being,” Leyland says.
“UCAN believes that there is a clear need for community-based publically-funded health services that are focussed on providing health care to everyone who needs it, when they need it, where they need it.”
“We urge the Minister of Health to walk the talk. Prioritising children means prioritising the health of children and their families. And that means funding the services that will improve the health and well-being of every child, no matter where they live or what their families’ income is.”
ENDS
New community group protests at hospital against funding cuts
News from United Community Action Newtown
Members of the south Wellington community and supporters will be taking to the streets to protest against funding cuts affecting vital primary health services such as the Newtown Union Health Service (NUHS), as the CCDHB attempt to make $20 million of savings this year.
A new community group, United Community Action Newtown (UCAN), has been established to oppose the funding cuts and has organised the protest outside Wellington Hospital at 8:45am on Friday.
UCAN Coordinator Debbie Leyland says Newtown Union Health Service, which works with some of the most vulnerable people in the region, will lose $274,000 this year and expects to face more significant cuts in the year ahead.
“The DHB has indicated the 7.9% funding reduction to NUHS is required to help the DHB save $20 million this year. It has been indicated that the DHB needs to save an additional $20 million over the next two years which will have a serious impact on primary health care.”.
Leyland says the cuts will have serious impacts on patients who have no other option but to access low-cost primary health care, such as NUHS.
“Newtown Union Health is a low cost primary health service that provides vital services to some of the most vulnerable people in Wellington. The funding cuts are dire for the service. Services such as the diabetes program are likely to be cut. There are nurses and doctors volunteering to work for free to keep services going. Wellington Hospital’s A&E will become increasingly cluttered and there will be less ability for accurate assessment of A&E patients due to the extra pressure.”
Leyland says the Government is ultimately responsible for the cuts, and says Health Minister Tony Ryall has refused to meet with community representatives.
“The Government is using a sharp razor to cut services that are vital to the lives of many vulnerable people. We would like to discuss the implications of these cuts with the Minister of Health Tony Ryall so he understands the impacts. Minister Ryall’s office is refusing to meet with us and has told us that he does not meet with members of the community. This shows he is deeply out of touch”.
Leyland believes the cut backs are a poor financial decision and will cost taxpayers money.
“Several dollars are saved in other parts of the health system for every one dollar put into primary health care. These cuts will cost tax payers millions in the long run. The Government should be putting a fence at the top of the cliff, not simply relying on an ambulance at the bottom.” Concludes Leyland.
UCAN has also launched a petition calling for the reinstatement of the funding.
The protest will be taking place from 8:45am on Friday 10th August outside Wellington Hospital, near the A&E department.
Health cuts will hurt most vulnerable
Tuesday 5 June
Media release from United Community Action Newtown (UCAN)
In a classic case of David versus Goliath, concerned members of the Newtown community will protest the quarter million funding cut to the Newtown Union Health Service on Friday.
NUHS has been told by the Capital and Coast District Health Board that it will lose $274,000 in funding from July 1, 2012. The frontline primary health care service caters to South Wellington’s most vulnerable communities, looking after people who have difficulty accessing appropriate and affordable health care due to socio-economic deprivation and language barriers.
“These cuts will hugely impact our community,” says NUHS patient and community spokesperson Debbie Leyland. “[NUHS] will have to dramatically reduce the services they offer, which means our most vulnerable communities will have less access to primary health care.”
“Health cuts hurt communities, and they cost us more in the long term.”
The cuts are indicative of wider cuts to public health across the board. The 2012 budget sees the government taking $129 million from the health sector over the next four years.
““The Government is taking a bottom-of-the-cliff approach to our health system,” Ms Leyland says. “These cuts will reduce the well-being of our whole community.”
United Community Action Newtown (UCAN) has formed in response to the cuts, and comprises patients of NUHS and the wider Newtown community. They will protest outside the CCDHB Board Meeting at Wellington Hospital this Friday.
Southern Ward City Councillor Paul Eagle supports the community’s campaign to save Newtown’s primary health service.
“This funding cut will mean no more visits to the doctor for many families. I challenge those unsupportive District Health Board members to hit the streets with me and meet first hand, the very people impacted by this.”
Local politicians will join the community for the protest, which leaves NUHS (14 Hall Ave) to march to Wellington Hospital at 8:30am on Fri 8th June.
Representatives of the community will then present oral submissions inside the CCDHB Board Meeting at 9am.
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