Nurse Practitioner Facilitation Programme (NPF)
 

 

Liz Manning, RN MPhil
Project Manager Workforce (Nursing), District Health Boards New Zealand (DHBNZ)

 

Steady progress has been made over the last six years in the education, training and professional development of the Nurse Practitioner (NP).  In response to the identified need to stimulate the sector to recognise the employment potential of the NP workforce, the Nurse Practitioner Employment and Development Working Party was established by the Minister of Health, Annette King, in June 2005.  The working party identified training, funding and employment issues relating to NPs and subsequently in its September 2006 Report to the Minster of Health, Pete Hodgson, it identified the need for a Nurse Practitioner Facilitation Programme (NPF) to promote the role of NP.  The NPF started its work in July 2007.

The specific role of the NPF is to increase the number of positions for NPs planned in DHB strategic plans, the implementation of NP development models by the sector, to raise awareness of the NP role and the identification of opportunities and barriers to NP development and employment.  The programme sits within the collaborative Future Workforce programme under the guidance of Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Strategy Group.  Jim Green, CEO Tairawhiti DHB is the chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Strategy Group, which is supported by District Health Boards New Zealand (DHBNZ).
DHBNZ was established to assist the District Health Boards (DHBs) in meeting their objectives and accountabilities to the Crown.  Its role is to facilitate and co-ordinate strategic activity across DHBs and link with other sector agencies as appropriate.  DHBNZ supports DHBs through collaboration and collective activity.
In a new role within DHBNZ, Liz Manning is the NPF co-ordinator.  Liz has taken up the year long 0.4fte position as a component of her new role as Project Manager Workforce (Nursing) at DHBNZ.  In her previous role Liz worked as Associate Director of Nursing Professional Development at Waitemata DHB.  As project co-ordinator for the NPF Liz works closely with the steering group chair Dr Elaine Papps, Director of Nursing at Hawkes Bay DHB, to manage and facilitate the programme.

The NPF however is just one of a number of initiatives underway in the continued development of the NP role.  Other strategies and groups include the legislative working party, examining the legislative and contractual barriers to NP employment and practice, and also the Nurse Practitioner Advisory Committee (NPAC) which works with the profession and the Nursing Council of New Zealand on matters relating to the registration of NPs.

The NPF programme has some key aims for using NPs to:

  • fill identified service gaps especially in primary health, mental health and health of older people services;
  • deliver services for the prevention and management of chronic conditions;
  • promote removal of the artificial boundaries between primary / secondary / mental health and disability services;
  • improve the ability of DHBs, PHOs and other NGO funders to address population health needs; enhancing funder awareness of how funding models can become more flexible to accommodate NP services

In achieving these aims, the NPF has had some clearly identified responsibilities and strategies - for example, the identification of DHB based NP champions, and the use of established resources, toolkits and networks to effectively promote this role.  Underpinning the development of this project is the communication plan, which includes the development of an NPF website to increase availability of the tool kits and resources as well as providing a forum for questions and discussion.
The NP network champions: DHBs have been encouraged to nominate an NP champion created to:

  • Promote awareness of NPs and encourage the development of new NP roles
  • Promote service environments to nurture new NPs to be brought into the workforce
  • Implement toolkits and resources developed by the NPF.

Most DHBs now have this role and the names are available on the NPF website: www.dhbnz.org.nz/

NP innovations funding: The NPF has the ability to offer a one off amount of funding to a selection of NP innovations relating to employment opportunities and enhanced NP practice.  The criteria for bids are currently being finalised and information will be made available shortly.  Funding bids will all need to be approved by the Director of Nursing (DoN) for the relevant DHB.

Toolkits/case presentations: the selection of toolkits is building and is available on the website.  The site will also contain NP job descriptions and examples of business plans.  The first case presentation is on the site, and will be added to by some of the 42 NPs around the country.

For further questions regarding the work of the NPF programme, please contact Liz Manning, NPF Co-ordinator on liz.manning@dhbnz.org.nz  or access information, discussions and resources from the NPF website on www.dhbnz.org.nz/

 
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