Achieving Equity

achieving

Policy

Health equity is a human right:

• For Māori as tangata whenua, equitable outcomes are enshrined in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• All people in New Zealand have a right to equitable health outcomes under human-rights legislation:
  • New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
  • New Zealand Human Rights Act 1993
  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948

Equity is also justified on a needs basis. Māori and other priority groups experience significant proven inequities across multiple health and social indicators. This is unfair and unjust.

See also Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori Health.

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We are committed to improving health equity outcomes for all patients and family/whānau, including Māori as tangata whenua (indigenous people). Equity in health care is underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We embrace diversity, inclusion and equity, and ensure that all our patients and visitors receive appropriate care in an environment where they feel safe and comfortable.

We have zero tolerance for discrimination. We understand that discrimination takes many forms and seek to recognise and eliminate it wherever possible.

Our thinking, planning, and actions to achieve equity align with the New Zealand government's Māori health framework for the health and disability sector:

• Pae Tū: Hauora Māori Strategy
• Whakamaua: Māori Health Action Plan 2020-2025.

To pursue equitable health outcomes for every patient, we:

• have a designated equity champion to drive equity initiatives and provide an equity perspective
• link with other organisations or services if needed to support specific patient needs

  For example:

  • kaiāwhina
  • gender-affirming health services
  • cultural or community organisations
  • iwi or hāpu services
  • disability health services
  • refugee health services
• train our team to help them understand the principles of health equity and their role in reducing inequities
• actively work to create an environment where all patients, whānau, and visitors feel culturally safe
• use patient information and data to deliver targeted equitable services for our Māori population and address Māori health priority areas. These are outlined in our Māori Health Plan.
• collaborate to design health care that meets the needs of our community
• allocate time for staff to run equity audits and work on equity plans and projects.

See also Diversity, Māori Health Equity, Cultural Safety, and Patient Data.

Equity champion

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The equity champion:

• orientates and mentors team members about equity and our organisation's goals
• understands the breakdown of marginalised/underserved groups in our population
• provides the clinical governance group with information on equity initiatives and areas of concern
• promotes and progresses equitable health outcomes
• oversees regular audits of patient ethnicity data.

Our management team empower the equity champion to raise issues of inequity and take steps to address any concerns. We allocate time and resources for them to work on equity issues.

Clinical governance

Equity is a core area of clinical governance. The equity champion is part of our clinical governance group and equity is a standing item on the meeting agenda.

Leadership

Our leadership team are committed to being a pro-equity health provider and embedding equity throughout our organisation.

We do this by:

• setting targets and documenting our actions and progress towards equity
• recruiting team members with pro-equity values and a commitment to equity
• developing our team to understand:
  • the importance of equity in health care
  • concepts such as racism and discrimination, conscious and unconscious bias, access, and cultural safety.

See also Recruitment and Vetting, Bias, Access, and Cultural Safety.

Collaboration and partnership

We listen to and engage with organisations and partners to help us design services that improve health equity.

See also Collaboration and Partnership.

Equity action plan for our practice

Our equity action plan establishes our targets and documents the steps we're taking to address health equity.

Equity action plan