Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 555, Wednesday 11 August 2021
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
NATIONAL NEWS
Newer Kiwi nurse grads choose general practice
New Zealand graduate nurses are choosing to work in general practice and other primary care settings much earlier in their career and in higher ... (Registration required to access)
Recruiting foils nursing staffing promise
SDHB chief nursing and midwifery officer Jane Wilson said Ms Lawless' findings were not new, and that southern hospitals had run under-resourced ...
Allied health professionals say they're under-utilised
Allied health professionals who work alongside doctors, nurses and dentists say they are being under-utilised and could help deliver better health outcomes.
Nurses negotiations need cool heads
Then there was the news yesterday that frustrated and desperate Dunedin Hospital emergency department staff have lodged a provisional improvement ...
Security issues, short-staffing concerns addressed in Wellington's overcrowded ED
New Zealand Nurses Organisation Wellington Representative Jo Coffey said the PIN - which was lifted last week on July 28 - outlined a number of ...
Wellington Hospital emergency department: 11 nurses resigned in 10 days amid health and safety ...
New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) Wellington representative Jo Coffey said the ED had also been plagued by vacancies and resignations ...
Dunedin ED staff fear patients could die due to wait times
Emergency department staff and management at Dunedin Hospital met again today over growing concerns patients are at risk of dying while they wait for treatment.
Government blind to importance of nurses
(A majority of New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) members supported a ballot for three strikes: for 24 hours on July 29, eight hours on August 19, ...
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
‘We have the nurses. We have the expertise’: Peak bodies call for nurse practitioners to be utilised in COVID-19 vaccination rollout
Hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine strike teams led by nurse practitioners with the capability of vaccinating 300,000 Australians per day will help get the country’s sluggish vaccine rollout back on target, according to a coalition of peak nursing organisations.
'We're expendable': Japan's nurses speak from COVID-19's front line
The Japan Times
The 38-year-old nurse was performing a routine check on a patient, a man in ... The Japan Times spoke to nurses in various fields of medicine — from ...
Fears over patient safety amid plans to 'water down' training for nurses
The Independent
Plans to simplify specialist nurse training across the UK pose “huge risks” to patient safety, health leaders have warned. Nursing leaders are united in ...
AGED CARE AND ELDERLY
Critical shortage of Registered Nurses - CANZ
CANZ (Care Association of New Zealand) represent 85 aged care facilities - the majority of these are smaller, stand alone, owner operated facilities,
Challenges for rainbow retirees
Moving to a care-home can be an emotional experience and a Dunedin local says for some members of the rainbow community, retirement can also mean going back into the closet.
Malcolm Angus presents a radio programme on local community station Oar FM that explores challenges faced by ageing members of the rainbow community.
COVID-19 / CORONAVIRUS
New Zealand doesn't have enough ICU capacity, even without the effects of a pandemic
OPINION: Intensive care is a medical specialty born of an epidemic mostly forgotten because of, ironically, the success of a vaccine. As the poliovirus moved through Europe and the United States in the mid-20th century, progressive paralysis of breathing muscles meant patients needed artificial life support to survive. A shortage of these expensive machines led to cohorting of patients in areas where life-saving resources could be shared – and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) were founded.
Māori and Pacific health groups worried by low vaccination rates
Months into the vaccine rollout, the number of Māori and Pacific people vaccinated against Covid-19 remains well down on the rest of the population. Read more
Blood thinners an effective treatment for many patients with Covid-19
The award-winning international trial, REMAP-CAP, led here in New Zealand by Dr Colin McArthur, Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ) researcher and intensive care specialist at Auckland City Hospital, has provided a framework that has been able to efficiently evaluate multiple treatment options for patients who are critically ill due to COVID-19.
DHBs
Burnt out hospital doctors say no to zero pay offer, strikes on the table
Senior hospital doctors and dentists across the country say they may have to consider strikes to make health boards take short-staffing and burnout seriously.
DIABETES
Discontinuation a concern
An alarming number of patients with type 2 diabetes stop taking medication vital to keeping their condition under control, a University of Otago study has found.
INFECTION CONTROL
Ministry of Health seeks elimination strategy for blood-borne diseases and viruses
The Ministry of Health has launched a new working group to tackle the spread of sexually transmitted and blood-borne viruses and diseases, including syphilis, HIV and hepatitis C.
MAORI HEALTH
Underfunding Māori healthcare costs Māori and the economy $5 billion a year
A new report has found Māori healthcare is massively underfunded and $1 billion in extra investment a year would save the country $5bn a year in health-related costs.
$1.6 Million Māori Suicide Prevention Fund Now Open
Today we announce that Te Rau Ora is once again delivering a Māori Community Suicide Prevention Fund. This Community Fund is designed to support initiatives that will build the capacity of Māori whānau, hapū and iwi to prevent suicide within communities and to respond effectively if suicide occurs.
MENTAL HEALTH
High rate of secluding patients at mental health unit a concern
An acute mental health unit in Whanganui needs to reduce its high and increasing rates of secluding patients, including the inequitable treatment of Māori.
Rise in anti-depressant use 'positive', Ministry of Health says
A rise in the use of anti-depressants over the past decade is a positive sign more people are getting support, Ministry of Health officials say. Read more
Māori health expert supports mental health review
Te ao Māori does not separate the head from the body when considering mental health but treats the person as a whole.
MidCentral health mental health boss resigns during pivotal phase
The departure of a top official from MidCentral Health has created uncertainty about the leadership of mental health services ahead of the construction of a long-awaited new ward.
MIDWIFERY / MATERNITY
Local Focus: Rotorua's male midwife inspired to make mothers and fathers feel included
Glen Valentine, of Rotorua, is one of eight male midwives across the country, and the only one to be fully trained in New Zealand.
Taranaki midwives walk out while calling on the Government to deliver safe staffing and pay parity
''Patient safety is the number one consideration in planning for Tuesday's industrial action.'' Meanwhile, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation has ...
PHARMACY/PRESCRIBING
Healthcare professionals 'encouraged to attend cannabis summit'
With the availability of highly desired local medicinal cannabis products fast approaching, healthcare professionals are being encouraged to attend MedCan 2021. Read more
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Health Minister announces practical framework at GP’s annual conference
Today at GP21: the conference for general practice, Minister for Health Andrew Little announced a new Health System Indicators framework to measure how well the health and disability system serves New Zealanders.
WORKPLACE
Nurses Experience Fatigue and Lack of Sleep During 12-Hour Shifts
Health care workers experience demanding work environments and rotating shift schedules that may take a toll on their health. Registered nurses (RNs) working in hospitals are at high risk of experiencing occupational fatigue due to hectic and nonstandard work schedules, according to a study published in The Journal of Nursing Administration.
ONLINE JOURNALS
Māori Health Review
Issue 92
In this issue, we highlight the high prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in New Zealand, and the association with exposure to violence in adulthood.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Development of clinical competence – a longitudinal survey of nurse practitioner students.
Taylor, I., Bing-Jonsson, P.C., Finnbakk, E. et al.
BMC Nurs 20, 130 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00627-x
In order to achieve a sustainable standard of advanced clinical competence for nurse practitioners leading to a credible role, it is important to investigate the development of clinical competence among nurse practitioner students.
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 10 August 2021
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