Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 342 5 April 2017
NATIONAL NEWS
Waikato senior nurse stressed about staff shortage
Since 2012, patient numbers at Waikato Hospital, as measured by discharges, are up 14.6 per cent.
By contrast, since 2010, full-time equivalent nursing staff has increased by 11.8 per cent, according to Waikato DHB director people and performance Greg Peploe.
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Nurse assault sparks hospital staff safety fears
An assault on a Christchurch Hospital nurse on her way to work has prompted calls for more secure parking for staff.
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Pain clinics 'grossly' under-resourced despite one in five Kiwis suffering chronic Pain
A pain specialist says he's begged the Health Minister for more resources as thousands of people live in misery after being shut out of specialist services across New Zealand.
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AGED CARE
Campaign focusses on leading cause of harm to elderly
A month-long campaign is focussing on the leading cause of injury and incapacitation to the elderly.
The national April Falls campaign - Stand up to falls - is highlighting the damage that falls do and how people can reduce the likelihood of suffering one.
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ASTHMA AND ALLERGIES
Health professionals urged to undertake asthma and COPD training
Respiratory disease continues to make a substantial contribution to New Zealand’s health burden.
The recently released Impact of Respiratory Disease in New Zealand: 2016 Update, commissioned by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ, reported that respiratory disease accounted for one in 10 overnight hospitalisations.
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CANCER ISSUES
Waikato DHB preps for bowel-screening rollout
An extra 1000 endoscopy procedures will be carried out in Waikato as part of the national bowel-screening programme.
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DHBs
CCDHB reviews policy on partners staying in maternity wards
A string of mothers say they felt unsupported after their partners were not permitted to stay in hospital after they gave birth, now one DHB is reviewing its policy.
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$28m blowout: Waikato health bosses say costly IT project must deliver
Those running a multimillion-dollar project to overhaul the region's health records have been put on notice after a series of screw ups.
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Otago researchers scrutinise DHBs’ spend on outside consultants
The amount of money spent on external consultants by New Zealand’s 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) is substantial and poorly monitored, University of Otago research suggests.
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HEALTH FUNDING AND RESEARCH
Healthcare funding campaign highlighted at Middlemore Hospital
South Aucklanders are struggling to afford access to healthcare, according to a budget adviser.
Vai Harris of Vaiola Pacific Island Budgeting Service says her clients can't get the medication and health services they need, and something needs to be done.
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MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health nurses are 'burnt out' while patients miss out
Mental health nurses are burning out and patients are missing out on treatments and care due to serious health underfunding and Rodney's growth, a mental health nurse says.
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Auckland’s crumbling mental health services
Auckland's mental health services are groaning under increasing demand. Are we at “crisis” point and is it time for an inquiry?
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Training key to improving rural mental health outcomes
Mental health and addiction outcomes in rural New Zealand will benefit from greater focus on workplace training for support workers in this field.
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Growing number of patients leaving mental health unit without staff knowledge
More than 100 mental health patients have walked out of Palmerston North Hospital without staff realising over the past five years.
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OBESITY / SUGAR TAX
Some parents not aware their child is obese, say hospital officials
Some parents are so shocked to learn their pre-schooler is obese they turn down offers of further health assistance, hospital officials say.
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PALLIATIVE CARE
Review and plan to future proof palliative care
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman today launched the Adult Palliative Care Services in New Zealand - Review and Action Plan at Hospice North Shore, Auckland.
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PUBLIC HEALTH
Pakeha less likely to get Gardasil vaccine - even as study proves it's working
A vaccine that tackles the virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer has been proven to be fighting off infection - but many Pakeha families are rejecting immunisation - claiming their girls don't need it yet.
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TOBACCO, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Nicotine e-cigarettes to be made legal
“Scientific evidence on the safety of e-cigarettes is still developing but there’s a general consensus that vaping is much less harmful than smoking.
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New research towards a smokefree Wellington
Researches from Otago University say progress towards smokefree inner cities in New Zealand requires specific policies for places like building entrances, family areas, public seating, outdoor dining and for city events.
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Managerial competence of first-line nurse managers: A concept analysis
A variety of terms are used interchangeably to define managerial competence of first-line nurse managers. This has resulted in a degree of ambiguity in the way managerial competence is described. The aim of this concept analysis is to clarify what is meant by managerial competence of first-line nurse managers internationally, what attributes signify it, and what its antecedents and consequences are. The Walker and Avant concept analysis approach was applied. The attributes of managerial competence include developing self, planning, organizing, leading, managing legal and ethical issues, and delivering health care. Antecedents to managerial competence include internal and external factors. Consequences include nurse performances, nurse and patient outcomes, intention to stay of nurses, and nurse and patient satisfaction. This analysis helps first-line nurse managers to understand the concept and determine where the responsibility lies in establishing a definition of managerial competence. It is recommended that middle and top managers should be aware of the internal and external factors as antecedents of the concept. Further research is needed to illuminate the attributes of managerial competence in relation to antecedents and the potential effect upon the consequences, and the need to establish managerial competence evaluation.
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Building nursing and midwifery leadership capacity in the Pacific
The Australian Award Fellowship Program aimed to strengthen nursing and midwifery leadership and capacity in developing countries in the Pacific.
Background
It is necessary to build an optimal global health workforce, and leadership and mentorship are central to this need. This is especially important in small island states such as the Pacific who have limited capacity and resources.
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Australia’s first transition to professional practice in primary care program for graduate registered nurses: a pilot study
BMC NursingBMC series – open, inclusive and trusted201716:14
Increases in ageing, chronic illness and complex co-morbidities in the Australian population are adding pressure to the primary care nursing workforce. Initiatives to attract and retain nurses are needed to establish a sustainable and skilled future primary care nursing workforce. We implemented a transition to professional practice program in general practice settings for graduate nurses and evaluated graduate nurse competency, the graduate nurse experience and program satisfaction. This study aimed to determine whether a transition to professional practice program implemented in the general practice setting led to competent practice nurses in their first year post-graduation.
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FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Health Workforce New Zealand Annual Report to the Minister of Health 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016
A growing and ageing population and an ageing health workforce creates challenges for New Zealand to have the right health professionals in the right place, at the right time for our future needs.
Health Workforce New Zealand’s mandate is to build a sustainable, fit-for-purpose health workforce. Our attention is on health professional education and training, training investment, removing barriers to innovation and projecting future workforce supply and demand.
Achieving this needs the commitment and input from the health sector. This publication shows the involvement of professions and health-sector organisations working together for a common goal.
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Transforming Respite: Disability Support Services Draft Respite Strategy 2017–2022
Respite is an investment in protecting the health and wellbeing of families and sustaining the family unit. The Ministry of Health currently funds a variety of respite supports for disabled people and their families, but feedback from the sector has indicated that there are a number of areas for improvement within the existing model.
The Ministry has drafted a respite strategy that proposes aligning respite with the Disability Support Services strategic direction to enable greater choice, control and flexibility to people with disabilities and their families.
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Disability Respite Survey 2016
Disability Support Services conducted two online surveys during October and November 2016. We received 1,268 responses to the family/whānau respite survey and 50 responses to the provider survey.
The survey responses have been used to inform the development of Transforming Respite: Disability Support Services Draft Respite Strategy 2017–2022.
This publication shares analysis of the survey responses.
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Review of Adult Palliative Care Services in New Zealand
This review presents a refreshed strategic direction for adult palliative care and proposes a suite of initiatives to help
manage future increases in demand for palliative care. We know that as people live longer there will be more people with complex conditions who will need palliative care to give them the best possible quality of life before they die.
In the next 20 years the number of deaths in New Zealand is projected to increase by nearly 50 percent, from the current rate of around 30,000 to around 45,000 each year. Many of these people are likely to benefit from palliative care, ranging from simple to highly specialised.
The Adult Palliative Care Review has identified five broad areas where improvements can be made to support and strengthen the provision of palliative care services, and ensure they are co-ordinated and responsive to people’s needs and circumstances.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/review-adult-palliative-care-services-new-zealand
Palliative Care Action Plan
Summary
This action plan details each of the five priority areas recommended in the Review of Adult Palliative Care Services in New Zealand.
The Review identifies challenges that will make it difficult to meet future palliative care demands. It recommends a refreshed strategic direction for palliative care to meet those demands.
The Review outlines actions under five priority areas to achieve the refreshed direction.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/palliative-care-action-plan
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Using a journal club to increase EBP knowledge and implementation
We know that evidence-based practice (EBP) leads to improved patient outcomes. Yet it is also known that nurses identify barriers to implementing evidence-based practice, such as lack of knowledge, support, time, and authority to change practice (O'Nan, 2011). Change can be difficult, but as nurses it is our responsibility to our patients and our profession to develop and implement activities that promote evidence-based practice. One such activity that can help us overcome barriers and incorporate research findings into practice is a journal club. A journal club can be described as “the sharing of contemporary knowledge and appraising the value of that knowledge for applications in clinical practice” (Duffy, Elpers, Hobbs, Niemeyer-Hacket, & Thompson, 2011).
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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 4 April 2017
If you have any feedback about content - what parts are most useful or what you would like added - please email admin@nurse.org.nz
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