Latest data shows around 8500 more Bay of Plenty DHB patients have received a First Specialist Assessment since 2008.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says increasing access to specialist care is a key priority.

'The answer to increased demand is to do more, whether it's assessments or operations, and that's what the Government is focused on delivering," he says.

"In the Bay of Plenty DHB 29,941 patients received a FSA last year, compared to 21,423 patients in 2008 - an increase of 40 per cent.

"Across the country 552,423 patients received a FSA in 2016, a rise of almost 10,000 on the previous year. That's an increase of 147,912 patients since 2008 when 404,511 FSAs were carried out - a rise of 37 per cent.

He says the uplift has been accompanied by a continuing increase in the number of people receiving elective surgery.

"These results are supported by the $202 million funding increase Bay of Plenty DHB has received over the last eight years. Bay of Plenty DHB will receive an extra $32 million in new money this year, taking the DHB's total funding to $718 million for 2016/17.

"Overall an extra $568 million is being invested into the health sector this year - the biggest single increase in seven years - taking the health budget to a record $16.1 billion in 2016/17."

The Government launched the National Patient Flow project to measure the outcomes of GP referrals to hospital specialists for the first time.

The latest data shows between April and June 2016, there were around 177,400 referrals across the country for a FSA - 87 per cent of referrals were accepted.

First Specialist Assessments are defined into two categories:

- Surgical FSAs are for patients whose condition is managed by a surgeon, for example - orthopaedics, general surgery, ophthalmology.

- Medical FSAs are for patients whose condition is managed by a physician, for example - cardiology, respiratory, renal.