# Establishing a Work Programme to Improve Health Outcomes for Older People

**Source Organisation:** Ministry of Health
**Publisher:** New Zealand Government
**Publication Date:** September 2025
**Original Source URL:** https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2025-10/Establishing-a-work-programme-to-improve-health-outcomes-for-older-people_0.pdf
**Source PDF Link:** https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2025-10/Establishing-a-work-programme-to-improve-health-outcomes-for-older-people_0.pdf
**Category:** policy-legislation
**Document Type:** PDF
**Document ID:** doc-0509
**Tags:** #policy-legislation #NZ #cabinet-paper #aged-care #ageing-in-place #pip-evidence

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## Key Facts & Findings

- Government spent more than $2.5 billion on aged-care services in 2023/24.
- People over 65 account for around half of all primary and community health spending.
- The average 80-year-old uses ten times more hospital bed days per year than the average 45-year-old.
- The paper describes aged care as a set of constituent parts rather than a cohesive system built around the individual.
- Fragmented access can lead people to more intensive and costly levels of care unnecessarily.

## Summary & Research Notes

This Cabinet Social Outcomes Committee paper establishes a work programme on older people's health. It records the preference to remain at home, describes the aged-care system as outdated and fragmented, and says the system can be difficult for older people and whānau to navigate. It also warns that navigation failures can lead people to more intensive and costly care unnecessarily.

## Evidence & Quality Scores

- **Authority Score:** 5/100
- **Freshness Score:** 5/100
- **Relevance Score:** 5/100
- **Knowledge Base Value:** 5/100
- **Target Audience:** Policy makers, health-system planners, and aged-care providers