Crown entities and agencies
In addition to district health boards (DHBs), the Crown Entities Act 2004 lists a number of other health Crown entities which are also responsible to the Minister of Health.
Crown entities form part of New Zealand’s state sector, and are classed as either Crown agents, autonomous Crown entities or independent Crown entities.
Health Quality and Safety Commission
The Health Quality and Safety Commission (HQSC) is a Crown agent with the objectives of leading and coordinating work across the health and disability sector for the purposes of monitoring and improving the quality and safety of health and disability support services.
The functions of HQSC include provision of advice to the Minister of Health on how quality and safety in health and disability support services may be improved, and matters relating to mortality, including appointing and supporting mortality review committees (after 23 April 2011). It is also responsible for determining and reporting quality and safety indicators (such as serious and sentinel events) for health and disability support services.
Health Benefits Limited
Health Benefits Limited (HBL) is a national shared services organisation formed to reduce costs and deliver savings through the effective and efficient delivery of administrative, support and procurement services for district health boards.
This includes services such as financial management and information systems, procurement and supply chain, human resource and shared payroll, information technology and facilities management. Savings made from these activities will be reinvested into frontline health services and in many cases this will mean services can be maintained in the face of increasing costs and tight fiscal conditions.
While not a Crown entity under the Crown Entities Act, HBL is a Crown-owned company. It is owned in equal shares by the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance.
Health and Disability Commissioner
The main role of the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC), an independent Crown entity, is to ensure that the rights of consumers are upheld, and health or disability service providers learn to improve their performance. This includes making sure that consumer complaints are taken care of fairly and efficiently. The HDC also provides funding for a national advocacy service to help consumers with complaints.
As of 1 July 2012, the HDC has also assumed the monitoring and advocacy functions previously delivered by the Mental Health Commission. A Mental Health Commissioner position, reporting to the Health and Disability Commissioner, has been established to oversee the performance of these new functions.
Health Promotion Agency
The Health Promotion Agency (HPA) has been established to lead and deliver innovative, high quality and cost-effective programmes that promote health, well-being and healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, illness and injury prevention. This includes providing advice and recommendations to government, government agencies, industry, non-government bodies, communities, health professionals and others on the supply, consumption and misuse of alcohol. The HPA will also engage in research on the use of alcohol in New Zealand, public attitudes towards alcohol and problems associated with alcohol misuse.
The HPA has assumed the functions previously delivered by ALAC and the Health Sponsorship Council, as well as responsibility for a number of health promotion programmes previously delivered by the Ministry of Health. The ALAC levy has been retained by the HPA to address alcohol-related harm.
Health Research Council of New Zealand
The Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) is the Crown agent responsible for the allocation of the government’s investment in public-good health research. The HRC funds health research in four broad areas.
- Health and wellbeing in New Zealand – keeping New Zealanders healthy and independent throughout life.
- Improving outcomes for acute and chronic conditions – better recovery for people suffering an illness or injury.
- New Zealand health delivery – improving service delivery.
- Rangahau Hauora Maori – supporting Maori health research.
New Zealand Blood Service
The New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) is the Crown agent that ensures the supply of safe blood products. NZBS takes responsibility for the development of an integrated national blood transfusion process, from the collection of blood from volunteer donors to provision of blood products within the hospital environment.
PHARMAC
PHARMAC is a Crown agent that manages the pharmaceutical budget on behalf of DHBs and decides which medicines are funded by the government. To do this, PHARMAC decides which medicines offer the best health results and value for money within the funding available. It also has a function to promote the responsible use of medicines.
PHARMAC’s Pharmacology and Therapeutics Advisory Committee (PTAC) provides PHARMAC with independent and expert advice on medicines and their benefits.
In this section
- In May 2011, the Government signalled an intention to review a number of Crown entities as part of a programme of state sector reform, affecting the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand, Health Sponsorship Council, Crown Health Financing Agency, Mental Health Commission and the Health Act Boards of Appeal. Read more
Related areas
Page last updated: 21 February 2013
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