Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 336 22 February 2017
NATIONAL NEWS
NZ must have a sustainable approach to nurse workforce
NZNO today launched an urgent discussion document about the issue of the unsustainable and fluctuating import of Internationally Qualified Nurses (IQN), in the context of New Zealand nurse graduate unemployment and the need for a better commitment to nurse career development.
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Poor policy shuts out Maori nurses
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has attacked an over-reliance on internationally qualified nurses and called for better use of Maori and Pacific nursing graduates.
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Language barrier puts lives at risk
Difficulty accessing interpreter services is putting people's lives at risk, says a primary health manager.
More than two years after the issue was brought to the attention of government agencies, a resolution is yet to be implemented.
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AGED CARE
Social perception in mild cognitive impairment
As the numbers of older people in the population increases, so too does the prevalence of dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a relatively new concept that identifies those who are at a risk of developing dementia.
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DHBs
Good progress made on new healthy kids target
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the latest health target results show DHBs have made good progress on the new raising healthy kids target, up 23 per cent on the previous quarter.
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One million electronic referrals in Canterbury
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says Canterbury clinicians have achieved one million electronic referrals – ensuring patients receive more timely care.
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EMERGENCY MEDICINE AND SERVICES
Air ambulance services centralised
A two-year long trial to centralise the co-ordination and dispatch of national air ambulance helicopter services will get underway today.
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MENTAL HEALTH
Counsellors call for mental health service overhaul to meet rising demand
A reassessment of mental health services from the ground up is needed as providers are struggling to keep up with increasing demand, the New Zealand Association of Counsellors says.
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Kaikoura earthquake mental health package $8m less than requested by DHB
The government's $3.7 million Kaikoura earthquake relief package was a fraction of the support requested by Canterbury health authorities and mental health advocates say people will suffer as a result.
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Meth use big factor in psychosis admissions
Methamphetamine users make up 50 percent of young men admitted to Whangarei hospital's mental health unit, a Northland psychiatrist says.
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Steven Joyce announces first social bond pilot to get work for mental health beneficiaries
The Government has announced its first social bond pilot programme, aimed at getting 1700 beneficiaries in South Auckland with a mental health condition into work over five years.
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PHARMACY
Cannabis products heading to Middlemore Hospital
Middlemore Hospital will receive cannabis products from medical marijuana company Tilray, it was revealed today.
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Pharmac to consider funding tampons and pads following application
Pharmac is investigating whether subsidising tampons and pads are with
in its funding powers.The Government agency announced on Monday that a funding application for the sanitary items was received in late 2016.
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Dunne outlines expectations in letter re cannabis-based products
Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has written to medical and pharmaceutical organisations clarifying the range of appropriately manufactured cannabis-based products that could be prescribed in New Zealand.
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PUBLIC HEALTH
Maori and Pacific people more vulnerable to diseases of the pancreas
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of acute pancreatitis in the world with Māori and Pacific people at more than double the risk of developing pancreatitis and post-pancreatitis diabetes than New Zealand Europeans.
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TOBACCO, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
New legislation will save lives for people with severe addictions
Legislation streamlining the process for people who need it to receive compulsory treatment for severe addiction was passed in Parliament tonight. The Substance Addiction Act (2017) will replace the Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Act (1966) and treatment agencies say this long awaited new legislation will provide potentially lifesaving interventions.
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Meth floods into NZ, addicts swamping drug rehab facilities
Meth is closing in on alcohol as the nation's most addictive substance.
Everyone from teenagers to 60-year-old middle-class white men are using it, Hamilton Alcohol and Drug Community Support Trust director Stephen King said.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The difference between registered nurses and assistant practitioner
With the NMC now regulating nursing associates what changes will take place?
There have always been changes within healthcare roles and practices. These have often been the subject of much debate, hope and criticism.
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Ohio nurses want law limiting nurse-patient ratios
Arguing that hospitals put patient care at risk by overworking essential front-line caregivers, nurses across Ohio are pushing lawmakers to limit the number of patients for whom they are responsible.
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Nurses to help take on a quarter of GP appointments in South West England
Nurses and other health professionals in South West England will conduct more than a quarter of GP appointments under plans to relieve pressure on general practice.
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WORKPLACE
What works: Code green prevents workplace violence
Over the public-announcement system at our inner-city, 500-bed hospital you hear, “Code Green, Main 5, Room 506.” That’s probably not a code you’ve heard before. A Code Green tells the team that an agitated individual needs help de-escalating. It sets into motion a rapid intervention to address violent situations and offers assistance and expertise in de-escalating a potentially dangerous encounter.
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Key ways to beat bullying at your hospital
"It felt like Lord of the Flies around here last Fall. The staff split into two fractions and we had overt arguments and name calling as well as lots of gossip and incivility."
A nurse recently described the environment in her hospital. Is nurse bullying and incivility an issue at your hospital? In September, 2016, Heather Punke's article in Becker's Hospital Review, "The pervasiveness of nurse bullying: 7 key thoughts," focused on OR nurses and their experiences, but bullying can happen to any nurse anywhere in the hospital. As noted in the article, bullying has repercussions for nurses both personally and professionally -- and it ultimately impacts patient safety when bullying happens after a nurse speaks up for a patient or observes that patient safety measures were not followed.
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FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Guidance on Infectious Disease Management under the Health Act 1956
This guidance explains new measures, concerning the notification and management of infectious diseases, which were recently incorporated into the Health Act 1956 and which commenced on 4 January 2017.
Targeted primarily at notifying health practitioners and laboratories, and infectious disease managing public health practitioners, the guidance explains how the new legislation should be applied.
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Summary of Public Consultation on the Update of the Health of Older People Strategy
The Ministry of Health consulted widely to develop the Healthy Ageing Strategy. The strategy began its journey as an update to 2002’s Health of Older People Strategy. Between 13 July and 7 September 2016, the Ministry of Health consulted the public on the draft update. The Summary of Consultation document presents the Ministry’s analysis of the main feedback from that consultation.
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The above information has been collated for the College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) Inc by Linda Stopforth, SNIPS and is provided on a weekly basis. It is current as at Tuesday 21 February January 2017
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