For older people and frail people, the long-term benefit of medicines reduces and the potential for harm from adverse effects increases. When the benefit–risk balance changes in this way, medicine review and optimisation are important to simplify the therapeutic regimen, reduce inappropriate medicines and minimise risks. In this article, pharmacist prescriber Linda Bryant uses two case studies to illustrate important considerations during medicine reviews
Over $20 million in Holidays Act remediation payments made to Health NZ’s Nelson Marlborough staff
Over $20 million in Holidays Act remediation payments made to Health NZ’s Nelson Marlborough staff

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is pleased to confirm that approximately $20.6 million in Holidays Act remediation payments have been processed today for Nelson Marlborough staff.
This is an important milestone in getting these payments to our staff.
The money is expected to be in the bank accounts of 3029 staff owed a remediation payment by tomorrow morning.
Staff receiving payments work across the health system and include nurses, doctors, allied health staff, health care assistants, cleaners, and administrators.
We are very pleased for our staff that payments have been processed today, and our Nelson staff are receiving the money they are owed.
Resolving Holidays Act Remediation payments for these staff has been extremely complex and time-consuming work requiring a large amount of manual processing and specialist skills.
Nationally we have about 90,000 current employees plus 130,000 former employees covered by the Holidays Act remediation project, for the period from 1 May 2010 to the present day.
Nelson Marlborough is the thirteenth payroll nationally to have the payments processed to current staff with Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waitematā, Hawke’s Bay, South Canterbury, Taranaki, Wairarapa and four former shared services completed, and a partial payment made in Bay of Plenty.
The payment to Nelson staff takes the total amount paid so far nationally to over $334.1 million across 45,667 current employees.
We aim to complete the Holidays Act remediation payments to most current employees by July 2025 and all will be completed this year. The first payments to former employees are expected to start shortly.