2 August 2024
Jennifer
[FYI request #27394 email]
Tēnā koe Jennifer
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00054340
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request on 26 June 2024 to Health New
Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. On 25 July, we notified you of the need to extend our timeframe to
respond.
Response
The data in the following tables is ‘as at’ 11 July 2024. Please note that that the data is
provisional, not validated through a formal validation process, and could be subject to change.
Average wait times for all priority levels for Women's Health appointments categorized by each
year (January 2021 - June 2024)
The table below shows the average wait times (in days) from referral to first appointment for
gynaecology referrals:
Priority 1
Priority 2
Priority 3
2021
9
35
109
2022
7
36
128
2023
10
41
153
2024
9
40
107
Average wait times for gynaecological surgeries, categorized by urgency level categorized
by each year (January 2021 - June 2024)
The table below shows the average wait times (in days) for gynaecological surgical procedures:
Average days wait
2021
43
2022
51
2023
103
2024
83
Amount of Laparoscopy surgeries performed for Gynaecology patients categorized by each
year (January 2021 - June 2024)
The table below shows the number of laparoscopy surgeries performed for gynaecology patients as
a proportion of all surgeries for gynaecology patients.
Laparoscopy All
%
surgeries
surgeries laparoscopy
2021
59
174
34%
2022
43
142
30%
2023
64
190
34%
2024
36
98
37%
Total
202
604
33%
Guidelines or protocols in place for referrals to fertility clinics for patients experiencing
infertility.
Health NZ Tairāwhiti does not have any such guidelines in place. Referrals are guided by patient
needs.
Additionally, information on what factors would make a patient exempt from a referral to a
fertility clinic, including the number of miscarriages required for referral.
As mentioned above, Health NZ Tairāwhiti does not have any such guidelines in place. There is no
specific exemption in place. Referrals are guided by patient needs.
Local Infertility Treatment: Guidelines for determining when infertility patients can be seen by
local specialists rather than being referred to a fertility clinic.
Health NZ Tairāwhiti does not have any such guidelines in place as patient care is individualised.
Specialist Availability: The number of fertility specialists currently practicing at Te Whatu Ora
Tairāwhiti.
Health NZ Tairāwhiti does not have specific fertility specialists. Trained obstetrician and
gynaecologists provide care and treatment as part of their scope of practice.
Confirmation of whether there are any Endometriosis specialists currently practicing at Te
Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti.
There is no subspecialty of endometriosis specialist. As above, trained obstetrician gynaecologists
can provide this care as part of their scope of practice.
Endometriosis Specialist Referrals: Data on the number of referrals made from Te Whatu
Ora Tairāwhiti to Endometriosis specialists outside the region categorized by each year
(January 2021 - June 2024)
Referrals to external endometriosis specialists are not specifically tracked, and to answer would
require manually reviewing each patient file individually. Accordingly, this part of your request is
refused under section 18(f) of the Act, that the information cannot be made available without
substantial collation or research.
Discharge Criteria: Information on the circumstances under which a woman experiencing
infertility and ongoing Endometriosis symptoms would be discharged from the hospital
system without referral to a fertility clinic, endometriosis specialist, or laparoscopy surgery.
Health NZ Tairāwhiti is not aware of any times this has happened. No one would be discharged from
the obstetric/gynaecology service, with all of these diagnoses, without further follow-up.
Clarification on why some women might be offered only birth control options despite it not
being suitable of family planning needs and not seeing Improvement in symptoms while on
birth control and multiple denials of a laparoscopy when doctor has made multiple
referrals for suspected Endometriosis over the course of years.
Please note that the Act does not require an agency to form an opinion or create new information
to answer a request.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. All requester data, including your name and
contact details, will be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
John Swiatczak
Group Director of Operations, Tairāwhiti
Hospital and Specialist Services
waea pūkoro: +64 021 829 784 |
īmēra: [email address] 421 Ormond Road, Gisborne | PO Box 4010
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wellington 6140, New Zealand
