Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 93 – 22 February 2012
From NZ media this week
Ryall and union at odds over nursing job cuts
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has launched a salvo at the Hawke's Bay and Bay of Plenty district health boards, saying proposed job cuts and tightened spending would pose a threat to staff and patient safety.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/ryall-and-union-odds-over-nursing-job-cuts-4731044
35 Hawke's Bay health jobs to go
Proposed job cuts at Hawkes Bay District Health Board will impact on patient and staff safety, the New Zealand Nurses Association say. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/6444506/35-Hawkes-Bay-health-jobs-to-go
Hawke's Bay DHB to cut jobsAbout 35 jobs across the Hawke's Bay District Health Board are being cut.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10786412
Nurses jobs safe, says DHB head
The chief executive of Hawke's Bay District Health Board says there are no plans to cut nursing services, despite a health workers' union claim to the contrary.
http://bit.ly/z09rpe
Nurses warned of job cuts in BOP
The Nurses Organisation says Bay of Plenty District Health Board nurses have been warned job cuts are coming their way.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/12939127/nurses-warned-of-job-cuts-in-bop/
Job cut rumours wrong
Rumours about job losses at Tauranga Hospital are being labelled wrong by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/22036-job-cut-rumours-wrong.html
Job cuts suggestion rubbished
Bay of Plenty District Health Board CEO Phil Cammish is reinforcing the organisation’s statement at the weekend that no redundancies are planned for nursing in the region.
http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/22078-job-cuts-suggestion-rubbished.html
Nurses concerned about Whanganui DHB proposal
Whanganui District Health Board's proposal to shift specialist maternity services from Whanganui to Palmerston North, is a serious concern, according to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).
http://bit.ly/zNBC0A
Pressure leads to health cut predictions
Pressure on health spending has boiled over into a social media "soap opera" with the husband of a senior health manager publicly predicting cuts to services at our largest hospitals.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10786494
DHB must axe budgets by $25m
Waikato District Health Board will meet this week to discuss how to shave $25 million from its budgets by mid-2013.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/6445416/DHB-must-axe-budgets-by-25m
Serious and Sentinel Events Report – Making Our Hospitals Safer (Links to report at end)
A total of 377 serious and sentinel events occurred in New Zealand’s public hospitals in 2010/2011 – a rate of more than one for every day of the year.
http://bit.ly/ybetO9
86 die in avoidable hospital mishaps
There were 377 public hospital mishaps in the last year resulting in 86 deaths, many of which "should never have happened'', a report has found.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10786758
Auckland DHB the worst for serious medical events: report
Auckland District Health Board had the most serious medical events in the country between 2010 and 2011, a report by the Heath and Safety Commission has found.
http://bit.ly/wtSaZI
Fewer mistakes happen in hospitals which are safely staffed
The best way of improving quality and safety in New Zealand hospitals is to learn from the serious and sentinel events that occur each year, according to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).
http://bit.ly/zzGjse
Infectious disease admissions leap
Hospital admissions from infectious diseases have leapt dramatically in the past 20 years, a trend out of line with developed countries and one which is costing New Zealand millions.
http://bit.ly/witbNh
Surge in disease blamed on social inequality
The rise of socio-economic inequality in New Zealand is being blamed for a surge in infectious diseases, a trend unusual for developed countries.
http://bit.ly/zcuzky
Disease figures a national 'embarrassment'
A growing "gulf between the rich and poor" is evident in the increasing number of patients hospitalised with infectious diseases, according to the author of a report on the trend.
http://bit.ly/zexHbW
Findings on disease rate 'a disgrace'
Damp houses, poverty and a lack of primary healthcare are behind a dramatic rise in hospital admissions from infectious diseases that has left New Zealand out of step with the developed world, a study says.
http://bit.ly/wwHEmm
Nurses can help turn around infection statistics
The alarming rise in infectious diseases in the last 20 years, particularly among Maori, Pacific people and the poor, as revealed in just-published research, is a clarion call to all in the health sector, according to New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) associate professional services manager
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/nurses-can-help-turn-around-infection-statistics/5/115488
Foundation praises extension of suicide helpline
An extension of hours at Lifeline Aotearoa’s national suicide prevention helpline is being praised by the Mental Health Foundation as a valuable extension to support services.
http://bit.ly/AmDPlO
DHB pays staff to lose weight
The Waikato District Health Board has confirmed it has spent $41,580 to send about 100 staff to Weight Watchers.
http://bit.ly/xK6R6w
International media
No international news of interest this week
Public health
International flu expert warns against complacency
An Otago University-educated international flu expert is warning public health officials not be complacent about new viruses that could spread from animals to humans.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10785499
ew Alcohol and Pregnancy Resource for Health Professionals
A new online resource has been launched to assist the many New Zealand healthcare professionals who say they don’t feel adequately trained to discuss alcohol use with their pregnant patients.
http://bit.ly/AbQBku
Work and management
Keeping the peace: Conflict management strategies for nurse managers
Nursing Management: February 2012 - Volume 43 - Issue 2 - p 50–54
Handling conflicts in an efficient and effective manner results in improved quality, patient safety, and staff morale, and limits work stress for the caregiver.1–3 The nurse manager must approach this challenge thoughtfully because it involves working relationships that are critical for the unit to function effectively—the nurse and other members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team who must collaborate while navigating responsibilities and roles that often overlap. To handle situations of conflict, the nurse manager must have the skills to help effectively resolve them.
http://bit.ly/x5QdKk
Articles of interest
Addressing the Disrespect Disconnect
This article appears in the February 2012 issue of HealthLeaders magazine.
Smooth working relationships among nurses and physicians are seen as vital to increasing value in healthcare delivery, but there is a vast divide in the perception of how doctors treat nurses, the HealthLeaders Media Industry Survey 2012 reveals.
http://bit.ly/w9YRk3
Missed Nursing Care, Staffing, and Patient Falls
Kalisch, Beatrice J. PhD, RN, FAAN; Tschannen, Dana PhD, RN; Lee, Kyung Hee MPH, RNPatient falls in hospitals continue to be a major and costly problem. This study tested the mediating effect of missed nursing care on the relationship of staffing levels (hours per patient day [HPPD]) and patient falls. The sample was 124 patient units in 11 hospitals. The HPPD was negatively associated with patient falls (r = −0.36, P < .01), and missed nursing care was found to mediate the relationship between HPPD and patient falls.
http://bit.ly/zRfauT
The big push
Eight years remain to satisfy BSN recommendationsThe Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Institute of Medicine’s report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” calls for 80% of nurses to hold baccalaureate degrees by 2020, but is this goal attainable? Across the country, that answer varies, but the push to bring the numbers upward is happening in individual states.
http://news.nurse.com/article/20120206/OR02/120207003
Qualitative Research (NZ article)
Nurses' perceptions of nurse-led healthy lifestyle clinics
Bob Marshall, Sue Floyd, Rachel Forrest Introduction: Nineteen Nurse-Led Healthy Lifestyle Clinics (NLHLCs) were implemented and targeted Maori, Pacific and people living in high deprivation areas. The general focus of the clinics was on lifestyle issues and much of the nursing was educative and preventative care. The aim of this project was to assess nurses’ experiences and opinions of their participation in the clinics.http://bit.ly/AySUen
For consultation
Medicines Amendment Bill 2011Published: 13 February 2012 byJohn McSoriley BA LL.B, Barrister,Legislative AnalystP: (04) 817-9626 (Ext. 9626)Public enquiries:Parliamentary Information Service: (04 817-9647)Caution: This Digest was prepared to assist consideration of the Bill by members of Parliament. It has no official status.Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, it should not be taken as a complete or authoritative guide to the Bill. Other sources should be consulted to determine the subsequent official status of the Bill.
http://bit.ly/z40pQa
RNZCGP Draft Māori Strategy for consultation
The College has developed its first draft Māori Strategy which is now available for consultation with College members, staff and stakeholders.
http://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/rnzcgp-draft-maori-strategy-for-consultation/
Conferences and professional development
New Frontiers: Practice Innovations In Addiction Nursing
Matua Raki and DANA (Drug and Alcohol Nurses Association) have been pleased to host a series of seminars for nurses who work with people who have substance use problems/addictions. The last seminar is this Friday in Christchurch New Zealand.These seminars are free.The aims of the seminars are to foster relationships, enhance skills, hear about new and planned initiatives and explore career opportunities.Addiction nurses will present on their experience of working with: an Emergency Department, Withdrawal Management, Co-existing Problems, the Youth Drug Court and in Rural settings. There will also be presentations about the Nurse Practitioner Pathway, NZ and overseas trends and “where to from here”.To register for the seminar in Christchurch please go tohttp://bit.ly/zlfdgT
Or follow the links from http://www.matuaraki.org.nz/
New publications
Long Term Conditions: Nursing Care and Management
ISBN: 978-1-4051-8338-3
Paperback 304 pages
June 2011, Wiley-Blackwell
This book is a very welcome tool, which will enable health professionals to understand the complexity, challenge and rewards of proactively managing long-term conditions. Putting this knowledge into skilled practice, in partnership with patients, will transform the lives of many individuals and their families, and thus fulfil the fundamental purpose of nursing.
—From the Foreword by Professor Rosemary Cook CBE, Director, the Queen’s Nursing Institute and Visiting Professor of Enterprise, University of Northumbria Long-Term Conditions: Nursing Care and Management is a comprehensive, practical guide for nurses and other health care professionals on the care and management of people with chronic illness. It explores case management, individual care and management, looks at the role of the ‘expert patient’, quality of life issues, counselling skills, self-management and optimum self-care. Long-Term Conditions discusses the three main physical long-term conditions currently resulting in most hospital admissions: diabetes, respiratory disease and coronary heart disease, with a focus on empowering the patient to self manage. Key Features: A comprehensive guide to the care and management of long-term conditionsFocuses on the management of the conditions from the patients’ perspectivePractical and accessible in style
http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405183381.html
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 2012
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