Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 597, Wednesday 15 June 2022
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
New Zealand news
Taupō author's new book explores how New Zealand led the world in nursing - NZ Herald
Taupō author Pamela Wood has explored the history of nursing in New Zealand. ... New Zealand Nurses: Caring for our people 1880 – 1950 draws on a ...
Nurse receives Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit - Otago Daily Times
Pacific Island Nurse Specialist Sandy (Vaeluaga) Borland has recently received a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the Queens' ...
Rule change likely to push migrant nurses to other shores - Indian Weekender
Indian Weekender spoke to immigration experts on how the rule change will impact the inflow of migrant nurses to NZ.
Nurses not on fast track residence pathway - Indian Weekender
Recently the government announced a new "green list" (a group of 85 occupations identified as having critical gaps) as part of its.
How hard is it to lure nurses to New Zealand?
New Zealand isn't the only country facing a shortage of nurses - can we compete when it comes to recruiting health staff from overseas?
New Zealand must look at other ways to attract international nurses as we can't match ...
New Zealand isn't the only country facing a shortage of nurses - can we compete when it comes to recruiting health staff from overseas? When a teenage ...
Claims we are currently 4,000 nurses short
However, migrant nurses currently have to work for two years before th. ... Transport NZ: Govt right to examine supply chain issues, but shouldn't ...
Diana Sarfati named as acting Director-General of Health
Diana Sarfati has been named the acting Director-General of Health to replace Ashley Bloomfield.
International news
Victorian healthcare workers to get $3000 bonus amid heavy winter workload | news.com.au
News.com.au
A war of words has erupted between Victoria's Opposition Health Minister and the state's nurse union secretary over the condition of the embattled ...
NSW Premier says 'thank-you' cash bonus will not go to private and aged care nurses - ABC
Thousands of nurses rallied in March, saying pay and staffing levels were at a crisis point. (ABC News: Jake Lapham ).
‘Be ready for the change’: The new frontier of Medicinal Cannabis Nursing
It’s been 1,276 days since Michelle Whitelaw’s son Jai, diagnosed with three rare forms of epilepsy as a five-year-old in 2010, has suffered a tonic-clonic seizure, which typically causes his muscles to stiffen, rhythmic jerking and the loss of consciousness.
Health workers are leaving in numbers - FBC News
The Fiji Nursing Association claims 80 nurses left our shores for New Zealand about two weeks ago. FNA President Alisi Vudiniabola says they had ...
Health Ministry fills vacant positions - The Fiji Times
The Health Ministry has filled the vacant positions of the nurses who had resigned. Speaking to this newspaper, Health Minister Dr Ifereimi ...
Burned-out heroes: why bedside nurses should not have to be martyrs to be valued
Nursing has long been seen as a vocation, not a skill. This impacts nursing staff and patients both.
Botswana nurses to fill vacancies, NHS trust says - BBC News
Professor Natalie Hammond says the nurses will improve the patient experience and support staff.
Care for 2m Britons with long Covid 'woefully inadequate', say top nurses - The Guardian
Royal College of Nursing highlights lack of specialist NHS clinics and disparities in care around the UK. Staff nurses working in the corridor in ...
White NHS nurses twice as likely as black and Asian colleagues to be promoted – study
Research by Royal College of Nursing suggests racism is 'endemic' in health and care.
UK recruiting nurses from some of the world's most short-staffed countries – RCN
The UK is “overly reliant” on recruiting nurses from countries with critical workforce shortages, according to a new report.
German nurses demand better working conditions | DW News
DW News. German nurses demand better working conditions. Nursing staff in Berlin's hospitals, whose services have proved so vital in the pandemic, ...
CT’s colleges and universities can’t keep up.
CT needs 3,000 new nurses a year and only 2,000 graduate — and many of them are leaving.
Why PAs aren't using the term 'physician associate' yet
The American Academy of Physician Assistants has officially changed its name to the American Academy of Physician Associates as part of a larger rebranding effort for the profession, but the association is not advising PAs to use the new term in a professional capacity yet.
Nurses' Station Epicenter of One Hospital's COVID Outbreak | MedPage Today
Nosocomial spread of COVID-19 throughout a medical unit likely occurred through aerosol transmission from a symptomatic nurse, researchers said.
Nurses can sign off fit notes from next month
Nursing in Practice
Nurses, pharmacists occupational therapists and physios will be able to sign off fit notes from next month under new legislation.
Aged care
Nursing crisis forces closure of 33 hospital-level beds in Timaru
Thirty-three residents requiring hospital-level care at a Timaru rest home have been told there are no longer beds for them, and they will have to move out within four weeks.
Children and young people
Māori say time, understanding key when deciding to immunising tamariki | Stuff.co.nz
One respondent said: “The last immunisation ... the nurse kept alluding to the fact that she had another appointment soon. I don't care!
Covid
How the Government is managing new Covid-19 variants
The Ministry of Health explained its approach to monitoring Covid-19 and any new variants in New Zealand on Wednesday.
One-third of daily Covid cases now in people aged over 50
One in three daily Covid-19 cases are now in people aged over 50.
The Omicron outbreak hit the young first. When it was at its peak in late February, 60% of cases were in ages 10 to 30, and just 10% in over-50s.
Lockdowns and mandates saved lives from Delta, but Māori, Pacific, and disabled, suffered more than others
New Zealand’s response to the 2021 Covid-19 Delta outbreak saved lives, but highlighted and exacerbated existing weaknesses of the health system, including inequity, and “historic workforce challenges”, an independent review has found.
Fears equity disaster on the horizon as threat of long Covid among Māori emerges
Māori health experts fear an inequity crisis could be looming with long Covid, and not enough is being done to avert it.
DHBs
Nurses warn of unsafe staffing in eight wards at Wellington Hospital
News from NZNO The New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) has today supported staff at Wellington Regional ...
Wellington nurse: We are run off our feet, exhausted and even crying on shifts - Newstalk ZB
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has supported staff at Wellington Regional Hospital to issue a provisional improvement notice (PIN) to management, ...
Wellington flying in children's surgeons to cover critical staff shortages
Children’s surgeons from Christchurch have been flying back and forth to Wellington for months to operate on children in the lower half of the North Island, Canterbury District Health Board has confirmed.
'Frightening' to work at Middlemore Hospital as ED sees 400 patients a day
Middlemore Hospital has moved to its “red” setting in an attempt to deal with the influx of patients into the emergency department – about 400 per day.
Whanganui District Health Board 'absolutely, constantly' on the hunt for nurses - NZ Herald
On average, nurses stayed at the DHB for 12 years, Chamberlain said. "If a nurse leaves the DHB to work for Te Oranganui or another health ...
Testing times as DHB leader draw to a close | Otago Daily Times Online News
After five turbulent years as chief executive of the Southern District Health Board, Chris Fleming is ready for a complete change of pace, he tells health reporter Mike Houlahan.
Maori health
Rural Māori stroke survivors experience 'worst outcomes' - new study
Rural Māori who suffer strokes experience the worst health outcomes of stroke survivors, a new study says.
Mental health
'Chaotic': Mental health ward where two people died lacking staff, support and leadership
The nurse, who has name suppression, gave their assessment during an inquest in Palmerston North on Friday into the death of Shaun Gray. Gray, 30, ...
Primary health care
South Auckland GPs facing burnout as ‘chronic’ doctor shortage bites
A chronic shortage of GPs in south Auckland is adding to the pressure on healthcare providers as they attempt to deal with a surge in patients during the winter flu season, doctors say.
Rural health
Rural specialist health services in crisis | Stuff.co.nz
With 2200 full-time equivalent nursing vacancies currently across New Zealand, one proposed solution could be a focus on encouraging graduates, ...
Reports and Journals online
Nursing under unsustainable pressures: staffing for safe and effective care in the UK
Royal College of Nursing
In March 2022, the RCN invited nursing and midwifery staff from across the UK to give their experiences of the last time they were at work. There were 20,325 responses to the survey. Eight in ten (83 per cent) said there weren’t enough nursing staff to meet all patient needs safely and effectively on their last shift. Just a quarter (25 per cent) of shifts had the planned number of registered nurses. Less than one in five (18 per cent) said they had enough time to provide the level of care they’d like. Read more
Infection Prevention & Control Research Review
Issue 17
Featured in this issue are two surgical antisepsis selections: a comparison of chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine in the prevention of SSIs and an assessment of the tissue penetration characteristics and antimicrobial activity of chlorhexidine in combination with silver carboxylate.
Other highlights of this review include:
- Droplet precautions on-site (DroPS) protocol
- Role of whole genome sequencing in IPC
- I-DECIDED® tool
Breast Cancer Research Review
Issue 37
In this issue, we report some very positive initial results with the use of trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with heavily pre-treated HER2-positive breast cancer.
Other highlights include:
- Estimation of breast cancer overdiagnosis
- The impact of young age on prognosis by breast cancer subtype
- Overall survival with ribociclib + letrozole in advanced disease
Articles of interest
Strategies for overcoming language barriers in healthcare,
Squires, Allison
Nursing Management (Springhouse): April 2018 - Volume 49 - Issue 4 - p 20-27 doi: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000531166.24481.15
Language barriers between nurses and patients can affect patient care. Follow these practice-based strategies to improve outcomes and reduce readmissions.
The first COVID-19 new graduate nurses generation: findings from an Italian cross-sectional study.
Palese, A., Brugnolli, A., Achil, I. et al.
BMC Nurs 21, 101 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-00885-3
Nursing education has been disrupted by the onset of the COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, potentially impacting learning experiences and perceived competencies at the time of graduation. However, the learning experiences of students since the onset of COVID-19, their perceived competences achieved and the employment status one month after graduation, have not been traced to date.
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 14 June
If you have any feedback about content - what parts are most useful or what you would like added - please email admin@nurse.org.nz
For more up to date news and information follow SNIPS at:
Facebook: Snips Info
Twitter: @SnipsInfo
Back to blog entries
Menu