Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 340 22 March 2017
NATIONAL NEWS
NZ Nurses morale on the decline
Nurse union survey reveals shows a steady decline of morale. Concerns over safe staffing levels, workload and pay. Chief Executive, New Zealand Nurses Organisation Memo Musa joins Ali Mau on drive.
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Nurses’ trademark resilience can only last so long
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s fifth biennial employment survey of its nurse membership reveals a steady decline of overall morale with specific concern about safe staffing levels, workload and pay. In addition there is an increasing loss of confidence in health sector leadership. ‘NZNO Employment Survey 2017 Our Nursing Workforce: Resilience in Adversity’.
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Marlborough Pacific Trust calls for specialised community nurse
Pacific Islanders new to Marlborough need better help accessing healthcare as seeing a doctor in New Zealand is so different to what they are used to, a Pasifika leader says.
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Counties Manukau Health nursing students help improve patient experiences
A group of nursing students at Counties Manukau Health have found that patients actually do want to be asked lots of questions by their nurse.
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Collaborative approach leads to fewer hospital stays for Tairāwhiti kids
Health providers in the Tairāwhiti-Gisborne district have worked together to reduce the rate of avoidable hospital admissions among the district’s most vulnerable babies and young children.
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Overcoming healthcare information overload
A Massey University PhD student is testing a new way of dealing with information overload when making healthcare decisions - and she is seeking participants to help verify the approach works.
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Maternity unit felt unsafe, says new mum
Wellington Hospital has apologised to a new mother after she complained about an unsafe and traumatising experience at the hospital earlier this month.
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Midwife shortage at major hospitals 'emergency situation'
Understaffed maternity units levels at many of the country's biggest hospitals are an emergency situation, the New Zealand College of Midwives says.
The cry for help came as Capital & Coast District Health Board revealed it was on a recruitment drive to find seven full-time midwives for Wellington Hospital's maternity unit.
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World class health care but concerns about a serious lack of access
Health care workers are burning out and patients are missing out on treatment due to serious underfunding, a public services campaign organiser says.
The PSA's Yes We Care campaign was in Taranaki this week highlighting the issues they claimed underfunding was causing the country's health care system.
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Ageing population a health risk to workers, says PSA
The Hutt Valley's ageing population has become a health risk to industry workers, the Public Services Association says.
The PSA's Yes We Care campaign roadshow was at Hutt Hospital on March 12 to highlight serious healthcare funding issues in the region and across New Zealand.
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AGED CARE
Selwyn Foundation’s new care homes to feature unique model of care
The Selwyn Foundation is soon to start building a 90-bed residential aged care home at its Selwyn Village site in Point Chevalier (Auckland), in addition to its multi-purpose developments currently under construction at Selwyn Oaks (Papakura) and Selwyn St Andrew’s (Cambridge).
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CULTURAL SAFETY
Te Reo app an anti-racism tool for medical students
Medical students are using a specially-developed app to broaden their use of Te Reo in an effort to reduce health inequities and racial bias.
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DHBs
Dunedin council to campaign for CBD hospital rebuild
Dunedin's council is launching a public campaign to have the government commit to keeping the hospital in the inner city.
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Waikato DHB to launch Dragons' Den concept
Waikato health bosses will use a Dragons' Den format to help unearth innovative ideas among its staff.
The concept is borrowed from a television reality series in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of potential investors.
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DIABETES
$1.6 million study to validate new diabetes prevention programme
The New Zealand Health Research Council (NZHRC) has injected $1.6 million into a research project to study an innovative self-management programme for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes.
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EDUCATION
Waikato medical school proposal focuses on diversity
A proposed Waikato medical school could help prevent a
generation of talented young people being lost to medicine.Waikato DHB chief executive Nigel Murray gave a public talk on the med school proposal on Tuesday and said the country wasn't producing enough doctors to meet its growing health needs.
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Victoria University establishes health faculty, to launch in 2018
Victoria University of Wellington has established a faculty of healt
h, but it won't offer medicine.The faculty is set to launch at the beginning of the 2018 academic year, and will offer non-clinical, non-medical subjects such as health promotion, health policy and health service delivery.
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ETHICAL ISSUES
Forty-year abortion law, described as 'offensive', in fact still good, says Government
A 40-year abortion law that still refers to people with impaired mental capacity as "subnormal", does not need changing, says the Government.
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MENTAL HEALTH
First resource to prevent male Māori suicide launched
The first ever resource booklet by Māori aimed at supporting whānau and rohe (regions) in their efforts to prevent suicide amongst Māori men has been launched.
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Rugby players should treat a mental health problem as they do a physical injury - get it treated
New Zealand Rugby is stepping up with a campaign aiming to break down the barriers over talking about mental health.
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Elderly don't know where to find help for mental health issues
Gwenda Pomeroy first noticed something was wrong when she could not stop pouring water into a glass for her grandson.
She did not know why she kept pouring, and felt like she did not know who she was anymore.
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Retired mental health nurse Daphne Crampton calls for village option of care
Long-time mental health nurse Daphne Crampton says more money needs to be poured into the health budget.
Now 91, Crampton started her nursing career at the former Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital in Nelson but also worked at the Levin Hospital and Training School, later known as the Kimberley Centre, and Sunnyside Hospital in Christchurch.
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OBESITY / SUGAR TAX
Weighed down: 20 years of Government action on obesity
Of all the areas where our MPs are asked to take action, obesity seems among the trickiest to deal with.
How much influence can - or should - our politicians have over what we put into our bodies?
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Jonathan Coleman: Tackling obesity a priority for the Government
OPINION: Obesity is a serious issue threatening the health of young New Zealanders, which means some of our kids could end up living shorter lives than their parents.
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Project Energize: Targeting childhood obesity
Its aim was simple: Get kids active and educate them about healthy foods.
And Project Energize has been so successful, it has been implemented not just domestically - in Waikato, Counties Manukau and Northland - it has now crossed the globe to Ireland.
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The case for and against a sugar tax in New Zealand
Barely a month goes by without the spectre of sugar tax being raised as a weapon in the fight against obesity. We asked experts on either side of the debate to put forward their best arguments for and against implementing a sugar tax in New Zealand.
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PATIENT SAFETY
DHBs lack consistency for safety of Deaf patients
Deaf Action urges DHBs to make a commitment to the safety of Deaf people across New Zealand by ensuring access to NZSL interpreters at all times.
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PHARMACY
More options for pregnant women and 65+ to get funded influenza vaccines
Funded influenza vaccinations will be available from more community pharmacies this year.
Most people receive their influenza vaccination from general practice, and some DHBs have been trialling funded influenza vaccine through pharmacy in past years. PHARMAC’s decision now makes it easier for pharmacies to provide funded influenza vaccine for people 65 and over, and pregnant women from 1 April.
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Too many antibiotics for New Zealand children
Almost all New Zealand children have taken antibiotic medications by the time they are five years of age, according to new research from the University of Auckland’s Centre for Longitudinal Research – He Ara Ki Mua.
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Women who used pregnancy test drug which caused defects come forward
Women who used a pregnancy testing drug believed to cause birth defects are starting to come forward.
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Important Information for anyone concerned about Primodos from the Ministry of Health
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PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Ministry of Health referral programme achieves staggering reach
A Government health programme has been referred to more than half a million New Zealanders seeking a healthier lifestyle.
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RURAL HEALTH
Fight for rural health a key election issue
New Zealand is potentially at risk of damaging its economy, unless the government does not act on improving rural health services, a national rural leader says.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/5/277893
Proposed School of Rural Health 'a timely initiative'
Today’s announcement by Otago and Auckland universities for a proposed School of Rural Health couldn’t be better timed and if implemented will underpin the rural health workforce for the medium to long term future, says New Zealand Rural General Network Chairperson Sharon Hansen.
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New School of Rural Health 'not the solution to health workforce crisis'
New Zealand’s health workforce crisis cannot be solved through the creation of the proposed new national School of Rural Health says University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley.
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SOCIAL HEALTH
Nearly 30% of children 0-5 years in Northland at risk
A new service has been launched in Northland to support children born into environments of alcohol and drugs. The only known programme of its kind in New Zealand, Tupua Waiora will focus on pregnant mums and children up to three years of age.
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TOBACCO, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Has alcoholism become New Zealand's accepted addiction?
It's easy to forget alcohol is the most widely available and consumed recreational drug in New Zealand - and is therefore the drug that causes Kiwis and their families the most harm.
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Alcohol watchdog says cheap alcohol creating unhealthy drinking habits and the price needs to rise
An alcohol watchdog is urging the Government to raise the price of alcohol to curb the type of drinking that has New Zealanders ranked as the fourth highest pre-loaders in the world.
In 2014 a Ministry of Justice study - Alcohol minimum pricing policies - found increasing excise and establishing a minimum pricing policy could save the country hundreds of millions of dollars and reduce the risk booze poised to society.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nursing cuts leave patients without medication for up to eight hours
A new report published by The King’s Fund has found that patients are being left without pain medication for up to eight hours during end-of-life care due to cuts in nursing staff.
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ED patients will be given food as part of anti-violence trial
Patients at two Queensland hospital emergency departments will be given food and an explanation if there's a long wait in a bid to lower violence against staff.
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WORKPLACE
6 tips for dealing with inflexible colleagues
We’ve all come across them in the workplace – those zealous, diligent and systematic people who stick to the rules and don’t adapt to new ideas. They are often very good at their jobs, so how do you work with inflexible colleagues
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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 March 2017
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