The report brings together harm data and insights from Health New Zealand |Te Whatu Ora, ACC, the Health and Disability Commissioner and the Health Quality & Safety Commission to identify where risks converge across the health system.
The report is intended to inform providers, consumers and whānau with a fuller view of system safety in healthcare.
Analysis of data from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025 identified ten recurring system‑level themes. These themes reflect common pressures and patterns across health care settings.
From these themes, we identified three main opportunities where coordinated action has the greatest potential to reduce potentially avoidable harm:
- procedure and clinical process reliability
- hospital acquired pressure injuries
- transitions of care for older people.
Improving system safety requires shared accountability, aligned priorities and coordinated action among agencies. This will enable the health workforce to provide care that is safe and person-centred.
