Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 402 Wednesday 20 June 2018
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
NATIONAL NEWS
Nurses' union rejects DHB pay offer, seeks mediation
The nurses union has "strongly rejected" a district health board pay and conditions offer and is seeking urgent mediation, but the DHBs say they have no more money to offer.
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National nursing strike looms: 'People are fed up'
As the prospect of the first national nursing strike in 30 years looms, nurses believe they have the public's support - despite rejecting a half a billion dollar pay offer.
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Nurses' rejection of new offer 'really disappointing' - Clark
There is no more money in the government kitty for nurses but what's available could be restructured, Health Minister David Clark says.
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Nurses leaving the country, patients neglected, strikes loom
Auckland nurse Sela Ikavuka spoke to the Herald about the struggles she battles every day at work and why she voted to reject the District Health Board's revised pay offer.
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Nurses' offer could be rejigged but no more money, Government says
There is no more money on the table for nurses' pay but the way the offer is split between the ranks could be rejigged to make it more palatable, Government ministers say.
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DHB & nurses face off: In their own words
Nurses have rejected a half a billion dollar pay offer, and now it's possible they will strike for the first time in 30 years.
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Canterbury Morning' s Richard Green talks nurses pay and conditions with Cee Payne (audio)
The Nurses Union has rejected the DHB’s offer for pay increases and better work conditions.
Nurses Organisation Industrial Services Manager, Cee Payne says their Nurses want to be valued for their work and the need to address to acute Nurse shortage in this country.
The DHB's offer will need to be tweaked in order for it to be accepted- and there will be a cost for the DHB's
Listen here
Nurses face cyberbullying from colleagues and patients
Online abuse, complete with false sexual allegations, is hitting nurses as cyberbullying in the profession is dubbed the "new nursing phenomenon".
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New Zealand’s parish nurses target mental health in 2018 conference
The New Zealand Faith Community Nurses’ Association has set holistic mental health care at the top of its training agenda for 2018. Nurses serving health needs in faith communities round Aotearoa New Zealand will upskill in holistic mental health care as they meet in Tauranga this September to build networks and share resources from the field. Parish and faith community nurses will turn their attention to mental health, youth issues, spirituality and promoting health in Maori contexts at the Faith Community Nursing annual conference to be held at Tauranga’s Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
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Mental health unit that housed Nicky Stevens before he disappeared was short-staffed, nurses claim
Warning: This story deals with suspected suicide and may be upsetting.A mental health facility was severely short staffed when Nicky Stevens died after going on unescorted leave - and notes from his last days alive went missing.
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Nurse who assesed woman says she wasn't given all the information she needed
A nurse who deemed a woman at low risk of harming herself says she wasn't told that just hours earlier, the woman was standing on the edge of a bridge, a coroner's inquest has heard.
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Funds being raised for $43,000 baby manikin to help doctors and nurses save our youngest lives
When former Shortland Street star Beulah Koale's twin sons were born, they were six months' premature and about the size of one of his palms.
They were fragile in every sense of the word and, as a result, spent much of their early lives being cared for at North Shore Hospital, in Auckland.
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AGED CARE
The E word: when, if ever, is it acceptable to call someone 'elderly'?
It was a bolt out of the blue that left us gobsmacked and reeling.People say you never know when it will happen and, shockingly, for my mum it was during a routine medical checkup earlier this year.
She was 69 and working as a registered nurse when the doctor turned to her and casually dropped the bombshell.
He called her elderly.
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Financial abuse of elderly 'rampant' in New Zealand with drug-use part of the problem
An elderly Wellington man who suffered psychological and financial abuse at the hands of his adult son has come out the other side, thanks, in part, to neighbourly intervention.
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DHBs
Concerns Christchurch Hospital is packed to the rafters with no plan B
News that no major repairs to earthquake damage at Christchurch Hospital have started seven years on reveals the extent of infrastructure poverty in Canterbury's health system. CATE BROUGHTON reports.
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EMERGENCY SERVICES
Waitākere and North Shore hospitals hand out about 6500 free doctor vouchers
Thousands of people with minor ailments drain busy hospital emergency department (ED) resources every year.These time wasters could be treated by a general practitioner, pharmacist or at a private accident and urgent medical clinic.
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Emergency department head says it's difficult to file incident reports in busy workplace
The head of Whanganui Hospital's emergency department says staff are brushing off incidents of abuse from patients as "part of the job".
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END OF LIFE CARE
Māori death practice influencing wider society positively
Ria Earp talks to staff reporter Jaylan Boyle about the influence of Māori death customs on all New Zealanders. This interview with the Māori cultural advisor to Hospice New Zealand, who is also a former Deputy Director-General Māori Health, is the last of our Death Series features.
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Doctors and nurses on good deaths, bad deaths, and assisted dying
Medically assisted dying polarises the health professions. FIONA CASSIE asks some health professionals for their views on what is a good or bad death.
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Death doulas: Providing comfort for those nearing the end of their lives
Lee Umbers meets those whose work is to help the dying spend their last days as well as possible.
When Elizabeth Taylor, 91, needed help to stay in her home, son Peter set about ensuring the best caregiver.
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ETHICAL ISSUES
Medical abortions could be safely performed in any good medical centre
Current legal restrictions on who can approve and carry out abortions and where they can be performed create inequities, risks and are a “shocking” waste of the health dollar, argues the women’s health nurses’ college.
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FOOD AND NUTRITION
Cultural factors key to health of older Māori
New research from Massey University and the University of Auckland suggests more focus in the health sector is needed to foster culturally appropriate food practices for older Māori that may lead to less hospitalisations and lower mortality rates.
Read more here
HEALTH SYSTEM
Health care system performs well, but faces equity, workforce and financial challenges
The latest snapshot of the quality of New Zealand’s health care shows a health system that continues to perform well in the face of a number of challenges.
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MENTAL HEALTH
Growing need for mental health services at university putting students at risk
Universities say they are facing a "here-and-now tsunami of need that is not being met" by community and district health board services.
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Details of new Waikeria mental health facility revealed
The country's first-ever mental health prison won't be double-bunked, will have much smaller wing sizes than standard prisons and have one specialised staff member for every two prisoners.
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Creative New Zealand advocates art prescription in Government's mental health inquiry
Here's your medical prescription - a bottle of paint and a hand at sculpting.
That's sort of the idea behind Creative New Zealand's submission to the Government's Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction - an 'arts prescription' to support better health outcomes in NZ.
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Multiple failings in mental health treatment of patient
An inquiry into the treatment of a patient with complex mental health has resulted in a report which is heavily critical of the patient's care and makes more than 100 findings that will shape mental health care across the country.
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RURAL HEALTH
'Rural Proofing' vital to protecting rural communities
The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network today welcomed a refreshed ‘rural proofing’ policy that will ensure rural communities are ‘at the heart of policy making across government’.
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Rural health services should get a slice of proposed tourist levy, GPs say
Rural health leaders want some of the Government's proposed "tourist tax" to pay for the extra emergency response load created by burgeoning visitor numbers.
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TELEHEALTH AND E-HEALTH
New Zealand on new Global Digital Health Index
New Zealand is in phase three of its use of digital technology for health, according to a new international index.
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TOBACCO, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Govt gives $17m to Auckland City Mission to expand drug-addiction services
The Auckland City Mission will get $17 million from the Government to expand its central Auckland building and increase its drug-addiction services.
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New Zealand: Where alcohol is normalised - and that means more drinking
Boozing has become normalised in New Zealand, and that means it's likely we'll drink more - and at higher risk levels, new research says.
One of the study's authors, Massey University's Docter Taisia Huckle, said: "What does normalisation look like? It looks like New Zealand.
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Why did it take 53 months for NZ to introduce plain cigarette packs?
The threat of legal action by tobacco companies in response to NZ introducing plain packs never eventuated - but Kiwis' health was harmed by the delay
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P scourge harming our youngest, most vulnerable
A leading baby specialist says as many as one infant a week born at Starship children's hospital has been exposed in the womb to methamphetamine.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nurses have been overlooked in antimicrobial stewardship programs, study finds
Empowering nurses to participate in antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) is the missing link in strengthening hospital-wide antimicrobial stewardship and improving patient care, according to a new study presented at the 45th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
Read more here
Immigration cap on doctors and nurses to be lifted to relieve NHS
Home secretary to relax rules from Friday, due to health service recruitment pressures
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Nurses receive special assault documentation training
COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) - A picture is worth a thousand words, and forensic nurses from Branch County Sexual Assault Services know how true this statement is. That’s according to a news release from ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital, where BCSAS is located.
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5 of the biggest issues nurses face today
Nurses are crucial to all healthcare environments, and take pride in the care they provide each day.But nurses also face many challenges in today's complex healthcare environment.
Here are five big issues facing nurses:
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Elder financial abuse: Nurses don't know how to help, and they're not alone
Recently I received a call about an elderly patient believed to be the victim of financial abuse.
The patient's finances were in the hands of a relative, and it was evident that this patient had no oversight or control over what was happening with her money.
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WORKPLACE
Communication Skills for Nurses
For a nurse, the ability to communicate is a very important skill and a vital part of the job.Nurses speak to people of varying educational, cultural and social backgrounds and must do so in an effective, caring and professional manner – especially when communicating with patients and their family.
This article will address several aspects of communication to help you navigate and master each interaction you have in your day-to-day practice
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The experiences of sessional staff teaching into undergraduate nursing programmes in Australia: A literature review
Collegian (Articles in press)
The last two decades has seen a dramatic increase in sessional staff teaching into undergraduate nursing programmes in Australia. These staff undertake positions as subject coordinator, lecturer, tutor, clinical laboratory leader or clinical facilitator. Their experiences are mixed, with reports highlighting dissatisfaction with employment and preparation processes, and a sense of disconnectedness from academic staff and the organization. These factors may negatively impact the quality of teaching and learning.
Aim
This review aimed to explore the following question: What are the experiences and requirements of sessional staff teaching in undergraduate nursing programmes in Australia?
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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 19 June 2018
If you have any feedback about content - what parts are most useful or what you would like added - please email admin@nurse.org.nz
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