Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 534, Wednesday 10 March 2021
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
NATIONAL NEWS
Massey's nursing school in the world's top 100 to 150
Associate Professor Karen Hoare, a Nurse Practitioner, leads the ... leads the Bachelor of Nursing programme and has collaborations in New Zealand ...
Nurses and mental health workers bear the brunt of assaults at Waikato DHB
They're trained to care, but health workers may face anything from people pumped up on meth to violent patients with advanced dementia.
Student nurses bring workforce relief for SDHB
The Southern District Health Board has welcomed its largest intake of nursing graduates with 121 new nurses now working across services in Southland and Otago.
The migration of Filipino nurses across the West
Tens of thousands of new nurses graduate every year in Philippines, and many of them move to the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. AMC uncovers the history behind this migration and looks at the contribution Filipino nurses have made to the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nurses strikes during vaccine rollout possible - union
The NZ Nurses Organisation will not rule out strike action during the mass Covid-19 vaccine rollout if it is unable to reach an agreement on satisfactory ...
Covid-19: 'Nasty' racist abuse directed at MIQ healthcare workers
Shocking reports of healthcare workers being labelled “monkeys” and being physically abused by guests at managed isolation facilities (MIQ) are emerging as a nursing union demands change.
Frontline healthcare assistants not receiving the living wage
A nurses union believes there is a “widespread” problem of many frontline healthcare assistants working in managed isolation hotels being paid below the living wage.
District nurses deserve our appreciation
As promised, I want to highlight a critical role in Waitaki District Health Services Limited – that of the district nurse.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nurses' union anger over 'pitiful' 1% NHS pay rise
The Royal College of Nursing called the suggested rise "pitiful" and said ... NHS pay in England has been out of the news since 2018 when a three ...
Europe's nurses need more training to 'reduce biases' around LGBT+ issues
Calls have been made to ensure nurses across Europe are trained to be “compassionate and culturally aware” towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and ...
Quebec turns to nurses abroad to fill shortages
Foreign-trained nurses will continue to play a critical role in the face of Canada's worsening health care labour shortage.
CANCER NEWS
Waikato University research identifies crucial role of primary care for cancer patients
Released today, the findings of two University of Waikato health research projects have identified the critical role of primary care in improving outcomes for New Zealanders with cancer. Read more
Te Aho o Te Kahu releases Lung Cancer Quality Improvement Monitoring Report
The Lung Cancer Quality Improvement Monitoring Report released today by Te Aho o Te Kahu, the Cancer Control Agency, aims to provide information to help District Health Boards deliver consistent, high-quality cancer care. Read more
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Kiwi kids paying a heavy price for lockdowns, report finds
Kiwi children are paying a heavy price for New Zealand's lockdowns, and it's disproportionately affecting kids who are already suffering. Read more
Stressed teens unlikely to seek help from counsellors or family, study finds
Stressed teenagers are reluctant to seek professional help or even approach family and friends with their problems, a new study led by the University of Canterbury (UC) has found.
COVID-19 / CORONAVIRUS
Covid-19: South Auckland DHB’s vaccination conundrum
Counties Manukau District Health Board has been grappling with the potential legal and ethical ramifications of dealing with staff who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19, a new report shows.
Covid-19: Nearly 10,000 border workers receive first dose of coronavirus vaccine in NZ's largest rollout
Aotearoa is two weeks into its largest immunisation programme, with nearly 10,000 border workers vaccinated against Covid-19 so far.
One in five NZers indicate they are unlikely to get the Covid-19 vaccination - Ipsos
One year on, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact on the world and the way our daily lives operate. With the vaccination process having started in New Zealand, 51% of New Zealanders say they are likely to get the vaccine once it becomes available to them. One in five (18%) say they are not likely to get vaccinated and a quarter (24%) sit somewhere between, indicating they are likely to need some level of persuasion. A further 7% have not yet made up their mind.
Covid-19 vaccine: 'We need to emphasise how beneficial it's going to be'
New Zealand's success against Covid-19 might make people feel they don't need a vaccination, so it's important to stress the benefits, an immunisation expert says.
Covid 19 coronavirus: Large-scale vaccination clinic opens in South Auckland
The nurses will make you feel welcomed and feel like there's nothing to ... Bloomfield said similar centres like the one that opened in Auckland today ...
Covid-19: Pacific leaders frustrated by wait for vaccine information campaign
Pacific leaders are questioning why they are still waiting for the Government’s public Covid-19 vaccine information campaign as they combat misinformation and conspiracies in their communities.
Too complicated?: Govt to review Covid advice
The Government is reviewing whether its communications during the latest Auckland Covid-19 cluster were too complicated - including the advice for "close contacts" and "casual-plus contacts".
Covid-19: Independent group set up to advise govt on response to pandemic
An independent advisory group is being established to ensure the government continues to improve its response to the pandemic.
Covid-19: A year since first Covid-19 case and Government admits comms plan for Māori still in development
A year on from the first case in Aotearoa, the Government is still developing a Covid-19 communications plan specifically for Māori.
The first real-world data for Covid-19 vaccines is in - and it’s really good news
The first real-world data for Covid-19 vaccines is in – and the vaccines’ effectiveness have once-again shot past scientists’ expectations.
Fact check: Nasal swabs are safe, and even babies are OK to be tested
FACT CHECK: Since January 2020, more than 1.7 million Covid-19 viral tests have been administered in New Zealand.
Covid-19: What are rapid antigen tests and are they really any good?
EXPLAINER: Rapid antigen tests have been touted as quick Covid testing alternatives that don’t require a laboratory analysis. Some can give a result around in as little as 12 minutes.
Covid-19: Obesity fuels coronavirus death rate worldwide, study finds
Britain's Covid-19 death toll has been fuelled by its obesity epidemic, experts have warned as global research finds nine in 10 fatalities occurred in countries with a weight problem.
Causes and potential treatment identified for COVID-19 induced heart damage - QIMR
Australian researchers at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute have discovered some of the ways COVID-19 damages the heart, and identified a class of drugs that could potentially protect or reverse this cardiac injury.
MENTAL HEALTH
Former racing greyhound supports patients as a mental health support dog
Sprawled out on the floor of a long-term mental health rehabilitation facility is a former racing greyhound called Andrew.
Drained brains: why nutrition could help to solve our mental health crisis
Can we combat depression and anxiety by changing what we eat? JEHAN CASINADER reports.
Talking to Julia Rucklidge is a bit like opening a filing cabinet in the middle of a cyclone. Information pours out of her at a mile a minute – data, dates and details – and I’m desperately trying to grab it all before it blows away.
The ANZMHA Announces The Launch Of Its New Indigenous Wellbeing Conference
The Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association is proud to announce their new conference, the 2021 Indigenous Wellbeing Conference, to take place in Cairns from 7-8 October 2021.
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
West Auckland Family Planning clinic closure leads to weeks-long waits for patients
A Family Planning clinic has closed temporarily, leaving patients with four- to six-week waits for appointments at other clinics.
Horowhenua GP says broken healthcare system an endless battle
A Horowhenua doctor says the region’s healthcare system is failing those who need it most.
There are no medical clinics in Levin taking patients, with Foxton’s Te Waiora Community Health Services and the Ōtaki Medical Centre as the only options in the district.
No easy solution for Horowhenua's GP shortage, mayor says
There were 105 GPs and 29 nurse practitioners in the district. ... of GPs to provincial New Zealand, which is a challenge for most provincial areas.”.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Meningococcal vaccine too expensive, principal says after 6-year-old's death
Tamariki close to a “lovely boy” who died from meningococcal disease cannot get the vaccine because of cost, according to the 6-year-old’s principal.
Poverty, poor housing contributes to increase in rheumatic fever in Wellington
Substandard housing in the Wellington region is being blamed for a spike in rheumatic fever, a preventable disease common in the developing world but almost eliminated from developed countries like New Zealand. Read more
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Nursing: Forever Changed by a Pandemic.
Clarke PN.
Nursing Science Quarterly. 2020;33(4):307-308. doi:10.1177/0894318420943134
The paper consists of reflections on the corona pandemic and nursing knowledge as practice. Nurses have been so appreciated by the public during this time that they are referred to as heroes. The moral injustice of taking nurses who come so willing to serve and not provide protective gear for their practice is addressed.
The article below is not freely available but may be accessed through databases and libraries to which readers have access
Nurse practitioner locums: a plausible solution for augmenting health care access for rural communities.
Jennings Natasha, Lowe Grainne, Tori Kathleen (2021)
Australian Journal of Primary Health 27, 1-5.
With 2020 being designated the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, it is opportune to acknowledge and recognise the role that nurses undertake in primary care environments. Nurses and midwives play a pivotal role in the delivery of high-quality health care, particularly in geographically challenged areas of Australia, where they may be the only provider of care within their communities. Rural and remote health services require strategic planning to develop and implement solutions responsive to the challenges of rural and remote communities. Maintenance of health services in rural and remote areas is a challenge, crucial to the equity of health outcomes for these communities. Many small communities rely on visiting medical officers to provide the on-call care to facility services, including emergency departments, urgent care centres, acute wards and aged care facilities. It is increasingly difficult to maintain the current rural workforce models, particularly the provision of after-hours ‘on-call’ care necessary in these communities. An alternative model of health care service delivery staffed by nurse practitioners (NP) is one proposed solution. NPs are educated, skilled and proven in their ability to provide an after-hours or on-call service to meet the expectations of rural and remote communities. Achievement of high-quality health care that is cost-efficient, safe and demonstrates improved patient outcomes has been reported in NP-led health care delivery impact evaluations. The value of an NP locum service model is the provision of a transparent, reliable service delivering consistent, equitable and efficient health care to rural and remote communities.
CALL FOR PAPERS
JRSNZ Special issue call for papers: Longitudinal Research in Aotearoa New Zealand
This special issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand invites submissions with a focus on health and medical longitudinal research.
The Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand is calling for papers for a 2022 Special Issue entitled Longitudinal Research in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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 of 9 March 2021
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