Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 622 Wednesday 7 December 2022
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
New Zealand news
Northland nurses on Government pay parity for health workers, but GP nurses excluded
Community nurses are in for a pay rise across Northland after the Government announced pay parity in the health sector, but General Practice nurses have been left out.
‘Good stewards’ of the drug cabinet: Research shows prescribing patterns of nurses vs doctors
Fiona Cassie checks to see how New Zealand’s growing number of nurse prescribers are tackling the task of prescribing medicines
(Subscription to NZ Doctor required to access in full)
Shot in the arm for graduates of on-job nurse prescriber course
On-job learning to become a community nurse prescriber for about 80 common medicines is now available in the South Island along with five North Island programmes
(Subscription to NZ Doctor required to access in full)
The proof is in the postgraduate study - New Zealand Doctor
After practice nurses miss out on pay parity funding due to “lack of evidence”, nurse educator Barbara Docherty outlines a strategy to get the ...
(Subscription to NZ Doctor required to access in full)
Scholarship winner picks up Peer Mentor - Pasifika role at UCOL Te Pukenga | Voxy.co.nz
Watching a nurse care for her brother dying of cancer spurred Charlene McGehan to sign up for the Bachelor of Nursing degree at UCOL Te PÅ«kenga ...
VSA volunteer the first qualified childhood nurse in Rarotonga - Voxy.co.nz
With a passion for child health and development, it is no surprise Molly Dalton was a successful candidate for the Well-Child Trainer assignment ...
International news
Ministers accused of spoiling for a fight with nurses over pay | Health - The Guardian
While health secretary Steve Barclay says he will not negotiate, unions suggest the compromise reached in Scotland could help avert strikes.
Quebec needs more nurses to answer flood of telehealth calls, health minister says - CBC
The province's health minister is pleading with qualified nurses, asking them to sign up and lend a hand to the 811 service, saying the province's telehealth staff are overwhelmed with an increase in calls.
CORRECTED-FEATURE-English language test dashes nurses' hopes of filling UK jobs
LONDON, Nov 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As a fluent English speaker, Indian-trained nurse Deepa was surprised to learn she had to sit a language test to practise in Britain, her home for many years. She was even more shocked when she failed it – not just once, but 11 times.
Bring in foreign nurses to plug 'worst ever' shortage, govt urged - Malaysiakini
An unprecedented, acute shortage of nurses in both private and public hospitals is hurting patient care, said the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia.
These Albertans are fighting for licensed practical nurses to be recognized as more than assistants
If Ginny Wong didn't have family in Alberta, she says she would leave for a province that formally recognizes and respects her as a nurse.
Asian health
Call for Asian views to be canvassed for healthcare planning
Health practitioners and experts are concerned that Te Whatu Ora has failed to address Asian heal h needs in its latest plan
Covid
Covid-19's impact on the immune system, and how this may affect subsequent infections
The reasons some people seem to be more susceptible to reinfection or other diseases after having Covid-19 are complex, an infectious disease physician and microbiologist says.
Covid-19: Cases expected to peak in week of Christmas, as numbers climb
Aotearoa’s next Covid wave could peak in the week of Christmas.
As many as one in 20 Kiwis could have the virus in that week, according to a leading modeller.
More than 34,500 new cases were announced this week and that number is expected to keep rising.
People are being encouraged to wear masks at large events and to do rapid antigen tests before attending.
Diabetes
Bullied by a doctor, beaten by a health system
The scourge of diabetes looms darkly over the people of Aotearoa. But its impact falls much more heavily on Māori than non-Māori.
In part two of RNZ's In Depth investigation of Māori health, Ella Stewart examines diabetes.
Disabilities
Care of disabled people a 'catastrophic failure', report finds
The state made a “catastrophic failure” of caring for disabled people, according to a report released by the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry.
Emergency/urgent care
Hospital emergency department stretched as patient numbers surge post-Covid | Stuff.co.nz
Patients are waiting up to six hours to be seen at Wairau Hospital’s emergency department, and health bosses have issued a plea to save the Blenheim clinic for emergencies.
End of life care
Arohanui Hospice fails to overturn employment ruling about public holiday payments
A Manawatū hospice has failed to overturn an employment watchdog ruling which clarified how it had to pay part-time employees for public holidays, even when those workers would not have been rostered on those days.
Urgent care clinics under strain | RNZ News
Pressure is building at urgent care clinics with more patients coming through the doors, and not enough staff to keep up.
Ethics
Parents refusing vaccinated donor blood for baby should consider decisions carefully - Little
The Minister of Health says the parents who want only unvaccinated blood for their baby's heart surgery should "listen to the health advice on offer".
Baby blood case: Parents accept that some blood products from vaccinated donors may have to be used
The strange case of parents wanting ‘unjabbed’ blood for their baby has reignited Covid conspiracies thought lost to 2021. Tony Wall and Nikki Macdonald explain that the family are ‘realistic’ about what lies ahead, along with the other key factors at play.
The parents who refuse medical help for their sick children
The parents of a 4-month-old baby fighting against health authorities trying to take guardianship of their child to have him treated are treading a well-worn path.
Parents refusing vaccinated donor blood case: What you need to know
Explainer - A judge has reserved his decision on whether to overrule parent's wishes for their baby's medical care.
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand was in the High Court today, asking it to take guardianship over a baby's medical care (more on what that means later) because his parents did not want him to be treated with blood from anyone who has had a Covid-19 vaccine.
Health NZ Te Whatu Ora
15-bed mental health unit at Hillmorton Hospital to close
A decision has been made to close an in-patient mental health unit at Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital because it had only 52% of the staff it needed.
Health workforce and recruitment
ED nurse shortage hits provincial areas - Shane Reti - Voxy.co.nz
Emergency department’s will continue to be under immense pressure this summer as the health workforce shortage remains, National’s Health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti says.
Mental health
Primary mental health care programme misses target by thousands
A half-billion-dollar programme to deliver better community and primary mental health care is still failing to reach tens of thousands of people.
Midwifery and maternity
New health alliance aims for equitable care for preterm babies
Equitable care for mothers and babies at risk of preterm birth is the focus of a new health alliance.
The Carosika Collaborative Taonga Tuku Iho will launch on Thursday at its first education event at AUT University’s south campus in Manukau.
Pasifika health
Pacific medical group invests $10,000 award into health education | Stuff.co.nz
The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) has announced it will invest the $10,000 – received with the Arataki Award for Leadership in Community – into health scholarships.
Primary health care
Mental Health And Addiction Workers Not Prioritised In Pay Parity Announcement
Mental health and addiction community sector peak body organisation,
Atamira Platform, are disappointed that mental health and addiction
workers are excluded from the first round of priority funding for pay
parity in the funded health sector, as announced by the government earlier this week.
No pay parity for GP nurses at what cost?
OPINION: I have been a practice nurse in a low socioeconomic practice for the past 15 years. For the last two of these I have been the nurse lead.
A million Kiwis each year are struggling to see their doctor - I've yet to meet mine
ANALYSIS: I’ve lived in Wellington for almost a year, and I’ve been to the doctor about eight times for myself and the kids - but I’ve never met my GP.
Public health
Warning over spike in diseases as childhood immunisation falls
We could see a rise in preventable diseases due to a sudden fall in childhood vaccinations, a report from the Children’s Commissioner has warned.
Sexuality and sexual health
Sex Outside the City project aims to improve takatāpui sexual health
A new wellbeing movement aims to improve the sexual health of queer Māori living in rural parts of Aotearoa.
Social health
Fewer Kiwi children living in poverty but disparity between Māori and Pākehā increasing
About 187,300 Kiwi children live in poverty, 16 percent of the population. That was well below the 2021 target of 18.8 percent, a clear achievement - on paper.
Tobacco, drugs and alcohol
Health Select Committee releases report on Smokefree Bill - Hapai Te Hauora
Hāpai Te Hauora are pleased to see the recommendations in the Health Select Committee report on the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill released this week.
Reports and Journals online
Infectious Diseases Research Review
Issue 30
In this issue, NZ research is included with a paper from Wellington Regional Hospital reporting that blood culture contamination only led to small increases in length of antibiotic therapy when compared with blood cultures with no growth.
Other highlights in this review include:
- HBV/HCV reactivation in cancer patients receiving novel therapies
- Viral shedding after first-episode genital HSV-1 infection
- 2021 Dutch guidelines for empirical antibacterials for sepsis
Articles of interest
Understanding the context of hospital transfers and away-from-home hospitalisations for Māori | OPEN ACCESS
Donna Cormack, Bridgette Masters-Awatere, Arier Lee, Arama Rata, Amohia Boulton
NZ Medical Journal Vol 135 No 1565: 11 November 2022
The geography of Aotearoa New Zealand, and the way that services are configured across district health boards (DHBs), means that it is relatively common for people to travel away from their home to receive care, whether that travel is planned or is a result of acute situations.
Although the Ministry of Health has a strategic goal that more people will receive healthcare closer to where they live,
it is likely that patients will still be required to travel for more highly specialised services or in cases where treatment is regionalised.
In circumstances where patients need to travel away from home for care, there is recognition of the importance of having family, whānau or other support people with them.
This is not a new phenomenon for Māori, who have long understood the critical role of whānau in the care and support of those who are unwell,
particularly when whānau members are required to travel for healthcare or are hospitalised away from their usual home. However, there are limited data available on away-from-home hospitalisations or hospital transfers for Māori. This paper describes the frequency and patterning of away-from-home hospitalisations and inter-hospital transfers for Māori. The analysis was undertaken as part of a broader Hospital Transfers project that sought to describe circumstances and experiences of whānau in the care of their whānau member when they require care away from their usual home base.
Is the Australian nursing workforce ready to embrace prescribing under supervision? A cross-sectional survey.
Fox, A., Crawford-Williams, F., Ria, J., Lynda, C., Debra, T., Patsy, Y., Lisa, N., & Chan, R. J. (2022).
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78, 4082– 4091. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15367
The aim was to explore nurses' preparedness to expand their practice to prescribe medicines under a supervision model Read more
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 6December
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