Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Chadwick Steve: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:608;Page:5559] 
12.  
STEVE CHADWICK (NZ Labour—Rotorua) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Health 
: What is she doing to ensure the country’s rest homes and home support services are delivering the best standards of care? 
Hon RUTH DYSON (Associate Minister of Health) 
: 
 Adding to a list of initiatives that are already well under way $1 million is being allocated this year for a project to assess the quality of care of older people and also of people with disabilities and to develop further initiatives to ensure that the best standards are in fact delivered. 
Steve Chadwick 
: What are the key issues so far identified for ensuring good-quality care? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: A key issue identified by the sector has been the need to address the workforce issues that were neglected so badly during the 1990s when there was no planning no assessment of workforce needs and no workforce monitoring of care workers. We are now working constructively with the sector to rectify that neglect. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Why has the Minister not increased the funding for our frailest elderly in hospital care in line with the Health Committee report that said particular attention should be paid to hospital-care funding; and does she not think that the hospital-care funding freeze is putting our elderly at risk as rest homes have no choice but to cut care cut corners or close? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: As the member should know because she was a member of the select committee that heard the Nelson petition looking at that very issue the decision was made that with the significant amount of increased funding given to residential care providers those who were most underfunded would receive that money first. But I am very pleased to say that the funding increase for hospital-rate beds will be made this year. 
Judy Turner 
: Are there any concerns that services are being financially compromised when the elderly are being wrongly assessed as less dependent than is the case and that rest homes are therefore being underfunded? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: The issue of elderly people being assessed and then referred to an inappropriate level of care was raised at the select committee but I am confident that that was an error made by the petitioner having discussed that personally with him. I have confidence in the needs assessment and referral process leading to the right level of care. 
Steve Chadwick 
: What are some of the initiatives the Minister alluded to in her response to the original question? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: Home support standards have just been completed and all needs assessment services are being reviewed to ensure that individuals receive the most appropriate care for their needs. A needs assessment tool for older people is currently under consultation and various other workforce-related initiatives are in progress. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Why has this Labour Government not increased the number of elder-abuse services; and how on earth will the proposed package of initiatives announced on 10 April which set up a review and the holding of a forum possibly stop elderly New Zealanders from being physically and financially abused by family members and carers as is happening all too often in New Zealand today? 
Hon RUTH DYSON 
: I am delighted to receive the assumed support from that member for dealing with elder abuse in a comprehensive way. The member noted three parts of the package. Firstly there is a review of the current contracts which have been in place for a long time and frankly the previous Government did not look to see what information was gathered. On completion of that review which will be in the third quarter of this year I will be hosting a forum to look at the issues raised during the review and to develop an action plan. The third part of that process is then in consultation with Steve Maharey and Annette King to appoint a lead agency to drive that action plan.