Building a Resilient Healthcare Future: The Role of Law, Ethics, and Collaboration
It’s a challenging time for the health system in New Zealand. Resource constraints, combined with the impacts of restructuring and a push to achieve access targets have stretched an already fragile health service, seemingly to its limits. But you know that, you are living through it. You also know that the system is experiencing limitations in its capacity and capability to deliver the transformative vision of healthcare reform, only recently articulated in new legislation. This is hampering the achievement of the shift from a hospital focused, episodic care model, to an integrated, community based and prevention focused system. Frustrating the ambitions of dedicated professionals across the spectrum of health and care and hobbling our ability to actually achieve the system level changes in productivity required.
Through these challenges, the dedicated teams that make up our health services carry on working, as it they always have, to meet their obligations to deliver high quality, timely and equitable care to all. However, it is when systems are under great pressure that, given the growing complexity and risks inherent in healthcare delivery, mistakes can and do happen. So, it is imperative that healthcare workers, both clinicians and managers, be equipped with a strong understanding of the legal, regulatory and governance frameworks that underpin delivery. They also need to be up to date on the latest developments in healthcare policy, professional regulation, and biomedical ethics and gain an understanding about how these topics affect different stakeholders within the healthcare and legal systems. We all also need to be clear about the legal protections afforded to both frontline and back-office healthcare workers, so that we are able to deliver on our duty of care to safeguard their wellbeing in challenging conditions.
It’s also critical that health and care providers learn from mistakes and failings at a service level, at a system level and from those of individual clinical professionals. Therefore, there is a huge amount of value to be gained in spreading the insights that are contained within Coroners’ investigations, Health and Disability Commissioner complaints and disciplinary proceeding before the New Zealand Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, the Medical and Nursing Councils. An understanding of the issues involved in these can contribute to the development of robust legal and ethical standards that protect both practitioners and patients, ensuring a more resilient healthcare system in New Zealand.
Brightstar’s annual New Zealand Medico-Legal Congress is the place to come to gain a clear understanding of these key issues. The event uniquely provides critical insights from the interface of clinical and legal practice, analysing the increasingly complex interplay between healthcare and law, which is critical for ensuring safe and effective patient care. As legal frameworks evolve and new challenges emerge, healthcare professionals and legal practitioners must stay informed about the latest developments to navigate potential risks and liabilities effectively. This conference provides a platform for sharing knowledge, discussing best practice, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, ultimately enhancing the quality of healthcare delivery Now, more than ever, healthcare professionals, leaders, and policymakers must be equipped with the knowledge and strategies to navigate these challenges—not just to comply with legal and ethical responsibilities, but to actively drive positive change. How can we turn these challenges into opportunities for better patient care, stronger advocacy, and meaningful systemic change?
The New Zealand Medico-Legal Congress is just one of Brightstar’s healthcare conferences that provide unparalleled, truly independent and impartial information focused on supporting the health system to deliver against some of the biggest challenges it faces.
Key events coming in 2025:
- The Nursing Leader’s Summit
- Transforming Mental Health
- Quality, Safety and Productivity in Healthcare
- Innovation and Excellence in Primary Care
- Nursing and the Law
