Introduction

The Foundation Standard represents a collection of legislative, regulatory and clinical requirements for all general practices in Aotearoa New Zealand. It represents a nationally consistent benchmark by which a practice can measure its current quality of care and progress toward health equity outcomes.

The Foundation Standard provides guidance, resources and practical tools to serve as a step-by-step guide to meet Foundation Standard requirements and begin a health equity journey.

The Foundation Standard represents quality assurance, which is the first step toward quality improvement and signals to patients the care they will receive meets a baseline for safety and effectiveness.

To get started on Foundation Standard, click the practice administration button below. Login details have been sent to the primary contact of each practice. If you need a reminder, please email quality@rnzcgp.org.nz

 Practice Administration

Equity within the Foundation Standard

In Aotearoa New Zealand, people have differences in health that are not only avoidable but unfair and unjust. Equity recognises different people with different levels of advantage require different approaches and resources to get equitable health outcomes. -Ministry of Health[1]

Explicit within the Foundation Standard is the College’s commitment to improving health equity outcomes for patients, family / whānau, including Māori as tangata whenua. The commitment to equity is a main tenant of the College’s Statement of Strategic Intent[2] and is underpinned by obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.[3]

Pursuing equitable outcomes is a journey of progressive improvements. Beginning with the Foundation Standard and progressing into Cornerstone modules, the quality framework sets a path for a practice to aim to achieve and sustain the following elements identified as necessary to secure equitable health outcomes across Aotearoa New Zealand:

  • Te Hautūtanga | Organisation and leadership: Practice leaders foster and maintain a culture of equity at all levels of the organisation, ensuring that the governance, the management, the policies and processes of the practice all align to equity principles. Practice teams understand the practice’s health equity commitment and can connect their role to that commitment.
  • Te Whakatere Waka | Service development and delivery: Practices use accurate data alongside knowledge of their communities to promote and ensure equity within their care, services, and programmes. Practice teams collaborate with community providers to advance equitable care.
  • Ngā Kaihoe | Practice team: Practice teams develop and maintain culturally safe practice and cultural competencies relevant to the practice population.
  • Te Kāhui Mahi | Workforce development: Practices actively seek to recruit, develop and retain Māori staff, and staff who understand and represent the enrolled practice population.

[1] Ministry of Health, 2019. Accessed at https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/what-we-do/work-programme-2019-20/achieving-equity 27 November2019

[2] Statement of Strategic Intent 2019-2024

[3] MCNZ, October 2019: He Ara Hauora Māori: A Pathway to Māori Health Equity