Experts' views on long-term care in New Zealand.

Aims: This study reports findings from the first national survey of long-term care opinion leaders in New Zealand.
Methods: Potential respondents were chosen purposively based on their knowledge and experience in long-term care policy and planning. Questions focused on assessing views regarding long-term care quality, financing, services, workforce, organisation, and regulation. The survey was administered via Web-based format during May-June 2007. Seventy-three individuals responded for an overall response rate of 47.7%.
Results: Experts support cost-sharing, insurance, and individual savings/preparation as supplements to predominately government-based financing. They view increased compensation and improved work environments as the key to recruiting/retaining paraprofessionals and educational assistance and curriculum reform as the key to attracting professionals. Most would expand access to home-based support through adoption of comprehensive service packages and various navigational aides (e.g. care coordination, counselling). Consumer-direction and public payment of family members were also deemed desirable. There was a lack of knowledge regarding emerging models of culture change/client-centred care in long-term care. Promoting quality by advising providers about how to improve quality and increasing public availability of comparative provider information was highlighted.
Conclusions: There are varying degrees of consensus regarding the kinds of solutions to long-term care problems that are viable from a policy perspective. Results should help determine how best to improve the current system to meet the needs of the growing elderly population.