Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 630 Wednesday 22 February 2023
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
New Zealand news
College of GPs' position paper pulled after NP feedback | New Zealand Doctor
Concerns raised over the accuracy of an RNZCGP position statement on nurse practitioners have led to the paper being withdrawn today less than 24 hours after its release.
Te Puia Springs nurses undeterred by road closures - RNZ
Nurses at Te Puia Springs Hospital are taking a hair-raising farm bike ride across rugged terrain to get to their shifts.
Three international campaigns to recruit nurses sees just 32 staff hired | Stuff.co.nz
A year-long recruitment drive to attract overseas nurses across three campaigns has so far resulted in just 32 being hired.
Pacific health researcher, nurse and dancer Suli Tuitaupe
Suli Tuitaupe is an award winning doctoral public health researcher - whose dance videos during Covid-19 lockdowns went viral.
Two-practice, nurse-led service for young people closes next month | New Zealand Doctor
Nurse leaders Pat Mitchell and Maria Kekus are full of mixed emotions as they prepare to close the doors on their award-nominated primary care ...
Registration required to read full article
International news
Minister says over 800 nurses have resigned - FBC News
An astonishing 800 nurses resigned from the Health Ministry last year alone.
Health Minister Doctor Atonio Lalabalavu highlighted this during his maiden speech in parliament this morning.
Nurses need to change how they think about health literacy, says nurse researcher
‘In public health we tend to tell people what to do,’ says Kristina Jenei, former nurse turned researcher who is working with the World Health Organization to support access to medicines and healthcare.
Statue to honour selfless Australian wartime nurse - The Queenslander
Vivian Bullwinkel was marched into the water and shot in the back after her merchant ship was sunk by the Japanese during World War II.
Study to examine whether smart patch can take over time-consuming work of nurses
Together with Philips and the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven, TU/e has started a study on the use of smart plasters in the nursing ward. The researchers are looking at whether this innovative tool will allow nurses to spend less time on daily, manual measurements. Patients who suddenly deteriorate during their stay in the hospital will possibly be noticed earlier by the smart plaster.
NSW nurses overworked, dealing with PTSD and planning to leave profession, survey finds
Nurse Kate Goodman is overworked, stressed and has symptoms of PTSD
Since the peak of the COVID pandemic, the 27-year-old registered emergency nurse has been overworked and stressed.
Manitoba nurses quitting amidst mandated overtime, high vacancy rates, no home-life balance - CBC
Some Manitoba nurses are leaving the health care field saying they are burned out and unable to maintain any work-life balance due to high vacancy rates and mandated overtime hours, which the nurses union says is skyrocketing.
Nurse Scientists Helping Hospital Nurses Learn to do Research
Nurse scientists are increasingly being hired by hospitals “to help bedside nurses advance their careers, providing the education, training and support they need to conduct research, present their findings at national conferences and get published in peer-reviewed journals.”
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Study Reveals Younger Nurses Leaving the Workforce
An RCN study has found that “that nearly 43,000 nurses left the profession and health and social care sector in the early stages of their careers over the past five years.”
Virtual Nursing Program Appears to Increase Nurse and Patient Satisfaction
Atrium Health, a North Carolina-based health system, now part of Advocate Health, launched its virtual nursing program in March 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially designed as an innovative way to monitor and care for patients, it has evolved into a growing and well-received program.
Aged care / aging population
Pacific And Māori Resources Now Available For Dementia Support
Alzheimers NZ has a new set of resources available in eight Pacific languages and te reo Māori to support people and whānau living with dementia in Aotearoa. Read more
Children and young people
Almost a quarter of young Kiwis struggling with mental health – report
Nearly one in four young adults are suffering from high levels of anxiety, fatigue and depression, according to the Salvation Army’s 2023 State of the Nation report.
B4 School checks back on target - Waatea News: Māori Radio Station
Working with Taranaki Maori providers Tui Ora and Ngati Ruanui, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand has managed to catch up on the region’s B4 School health check programme.
Four to five -year-old tamariki are checked by a registered nurse for hearing and vision, oral health and immunisation.
Covid
Deaths in New Zealand up by 10% in 2022, impacted by Covid-19
The number of deaths in New Zealand rose to 38,574 in 2022, a 10% increase in the number of deaths registered in 2021.
Education
International student numbers bouncing back at Taranaki polytech
International student numbers are bouncing back to near pre-Covid levels at Taranaki’s only polytech, in the wake of organisational and management changes at the learning institute.
Kiribati teams up with NZ university to tackle mortality rates | RNZ News
The government of Kiribati has partnered with Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand in its efforts to reduce high maternal and child mortality rates in the country..
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
Health Minister on the health system: 'Some things will take 10 years to fix'
New health minister Dr Ayesha Verrall warns it will take as long as a decade to fix long-standing issues in the health system, but promises that better longer-term planning will make serious improvements in the sector.
Palmerston North Hospital's ED spreads its wings
More people are likely to have shorter stays in Palmerston North Hospital’s emergency department now building additions have been completed.
HDC and disciplinary cases
'Severe' staff shortages at Mt Eden prison when inmate found unresponsive in cell
A nurse says Mt Eden prison had “severe staff shortages” during a medical emergency that ended in an inmate’s death.
Newborn stopped breathing and later died after midwife left the room
First-time parents have recalled what they described as two of the worst days anyone could go through that ended with the death of their 30-hour-old baby Zoey Field.
Nurse who made unwanted advances to colleague said it was 'sexual banter' | Stuff.co.nz
An Auckland nurse made sexual remarks and requests to a colleague spanning more than a year, leaving her scared and unable to sleep or leave the house without worrying he might be near, a tribunal has heard.
Warning signs about nurse's predatory behaviour may have been missed | Stuff.co.nz
Multiple concerns were raised about a nurse after he was accused of sexually abusing a mental health patient, but they were mishandled and he was able to continue working with extremely vulnerable people.
Mental health
Mental health strategies for coping after disasters
Floods, Cyclone Gabrielle, devastating earthquakes - is 2023 feeling a bit much already? Psychologists and mental health experts say acknowledging your feelings, working on the things you can control and connecting with others are all crucial coping mechanisms.
Aotearoa’s First Free Treatment Course For OCD Now Available
Mental health charity Just a Thought, in collaboration with OCD NZ support group Fixate, have launched Aotearoa’s first free, online treatment designed to help New Zealanders experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The course uses gold-standard therapeutic approach Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), along with exposure and response prevention (ERP) strategies to provide New Zealanders with accessible, effective and practical support for managing the condition.
Public health
Rise in cases of bacterial disease leptospirosis could be linked to flooding
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service is warning health providers of a potential outbreak of leptospirosis, which could be linked to recent extreme weather events.
Reports and journals
Child Health Research Review
Issue 22
Welcome to the latest issue of Child Health Research Review. Comments for this issue have been provided by Dr Thorsten Stanley from the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Otago.
Articles of interest
Boldly going… Introducing conflict management training to Starship Children's Hospital.
Miles, F., Barclay, S., Menson, E., Shepherd, T. and Webster, L. (2023),
J Paediatr Child Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.16347
Conflict between health professionals and whānau (families) in paediatric hospitals is common and leads to significant distress for families and staff. The likelihood of challenges and conflict around communication and critical medical decision-making is increased where there are cultural and social complexities. Training staff to recognise and manage conflict as early as possible improves patient/whānau outcomes and staff well-being. This article describes an ongoing collaboration between Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland New Zealand (NZ) and the UK Medical Mediation Foundation (MMF) focused on educating staff in the early recognition and management of conflict using mediation skills. An evidence-based training programme and structured ongoing supervision of a small group of champions has enabled this training to be embedded into Starship clinical practice. The collaboration has included careful consideration of the New Zealand setting, ensuring that the content of the programme specifically addresses our unique cultural and social context. Mediation skills are an important step in ensuring that our patients and whānau feel heard, acknowledged, and respected, and contribute to the Starship Child Health's strategic priority of eliminating inequity and addressing institutional bias.
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 21 February
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