Updates

October 2011

Health Benefits Limited (HBL) was established in 2010 with a mandate to help the health sector save money by reducing administrative, support and procurement costs for DHBs.

HBL is a Crown-owned company. It operates in a commercial manner to identify for all DHBs the best way of reducing the cost of shared services, as well as facilitating and leading initiatives to make the savings.

Since it was established, HBL has been collaborating with DHB staff to develop ideas. It is focussing on finding efficiencies in the following workstreams: collective procurement; finance, procurement and supply chain; facilities management and support services; information services; and human resources and workforce management.

Making savings in these areas will free up money to reinvest into the clinical areas of DHBs.

HBL is already working together with DHBs on all-of-sector procurement projects to generate savings. It has also been working with DHBs to scope existing administrative, support and procurement activities.

HBL expects these initiatives will result in change. However, until the scoping, feasibility and design work is complete and the final approach agreed it is not possible to say what these changes will be.

HBL is committed to working with DHBs to establishing communication channels with staff and making information available when it is certain.

The proposals require a detailed Change Management Approach and agreed Governance Principles for all programme implementations. These will be worked through with DHBs.