Release of short report July 2026
A team of University of Otago Health researchers were commissioned by the Ministry of Health to examine the appropriateness and effectiveness of the methodology being piloted for planning and allocating allied health staff.
This report outlines the staffing methodology used by Health New Zealand, the University of Otago evaluation methods, and the evaluation findings.
Key findings were the high burden of data entry on staff, an overwhelming volume of data, and poor-quality data, which collectively limit the appropriateness and effectiveness of the methodology.
Recommendations are to simplify data collection, improve data quality through conceptualising clinical and non-clinical activity in ways that align with staff perceptions of their work including cultural work such as whakawhanaungatanga, and invest in data and digital support.
Health workforce staff planning is complex. The Health NZ methodology intends to capture the day-to-day activities undertaken by allied health staff, along with unmet need, and assess this against service trends and outcomes to determine workforce requirements. Its goal is optimising patient, staff and service outcomes and advancing equity.
Learnings from the evaluation will help to inform future iterations and roll out of the methodology, and support advances in the field of health workforce planning more widely.
Sincere appreciation is extended to all the participants and stakeholders whose contributions have helped to guide this work.
View the report: https://doi.org/10.82348/our-archive.00249
For further information about this work:
Email miranda.buhler@otago.ac.nz