Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 424, Wednesday 28 November 2018
NATIONAL NEWS
Chief Nursing Officer appointed
The Ministry of Health has announced the appointment of Margareth Broodkoorn to the role of Chief Nursing Officer.
Read more here
Nurse navigating patients to be ‘Fit for Surgery, Fit for Life’
A registered nurse is the lead navigator in a new Whanganui health and sports partnership aiming to get overweight elective hip and knee surgery candidates ‘Fit for Surgery, Fit for Life’.
Read more here
HBDHB recognised nationally for health and safety leadership
The DHB, one of four Hawke’s Bay workplaces singled out at the awards night for going above and beyond in its initiatives around health and safety in the workplace, was applauded for its leadership to ensure all on-site contractors followed its Safe365 health and safety assessment tool.
Read more here
Safer staffing accord first deadline ‘on track’
A report on options for employing all nursing graduates – including enrolled nurses – is ‘on track’ to be presented to the Health Minister by November 30.
Read more here
Nurses make their voices heard
NPH nurse and New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) member Gina Chaffey-Aupouri says, “We're here just for pay parity, to be equally paid with Tairāwhiti [District Hospital]”.
Tairawhiti District Health nurse and NZNO member Marion Clark says, “They get a pittance compared to us- and we don't get that much.”
Read more here
SDHB trying to catch up on procedure backlog from nurses’ strike in July
The Southern District Health Board is still trying to work out how to catch up on operations postponed because of the strike by nurses in July.
Read more here
New book explores Canterbury health system's earthquake response
Within minutes of the February 2011 earthquake, a little girl was carried into the emergency department covered in dust. She was the first of what would be a flood of patients following the devastating event.
Read more here
Medical reprieve coming for MSD clients
Nurses will be able to complete medical assessments for patients applying for Work and Income benefits from tomorrow.
Read more here
New Zealand leans heavily on Filipino and Indian nurses to staff rest homes
A Filipino nurse believes migrant nurses are being funnelled into the Kiwi aged-care system, regardless of their expertise.
Read more here
Shocking: New Zealand death rate for motor neuron disease five times global average
New Zealand's motor neurone disease death rate is the highest in the world and five times the global average, a new study has found.
Read more here
CANCER
NBSP advises DHBs of revised roll out dates
The National Bowel Screening Programme (NBSP) continues to be introduced around the country with seven out of 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) now providing the free programme to about a third of eligible 60 to 74 year olds.
Read more here
Cutting-edge breast screening technology available for the first time publicly
Technology with the capacity to improve early diagnoses rates for breast cancer is being offered in the public healthcare system for the first time.
Read more here
CHILD AND MATERNAL HEALTH
Only surgeons should do tongue-tie operations on babies, says anaesthetist
Wellington specialist anaesthetist Dr Graham Sharpe has raised concerns with Health Minister Dr David Clark about the frequency of tongue-tie operations on babies and concerns about who is doing the procedures.
Read more here
DHBs
$80m investment to fix leaky buildings with rotting walls at Middlemore Hospital
Problems with leaky buildings causing rot and mould in the walls at Middlemore Hospital will be fixed with $80 million of Government funding.
Read more here
Waikato Hospital's under-staffed pain management service declines almost 70 per cent of referrals
A woman bed-ridden due to chronic pain is just one of almost 70 per cent of referrals to Waikato Hospital's Pain Management Service that have been declined in the last six months.
Read more here
DIABETES
Thousands of Kiwi kids with diabetes missing out
Diabetes New Zealand is calling on the government to fund continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) for people with type 1 diabetes.
Read more here
MENTAL HEALTH
Fresh thinking evident in new mental health unit - Clark
Health Minister Dr David Clark says he’s encouraged by the fresh, positive thinking evident in the design of Counties Manukau DHB’s new Tiaho Mai Mental Health Unit.
David Clark officially opened phase one of the new adult mental health inpatient facility situated in the grounds of Middlemore Hospital today.
Read more here
MIDWIFERY / MATERNITY
More than a thousand midwives kick off two weeks of strike action
More than 1150 DHB-employed midwives across the country will begin strike action on Thursday.
Read more here
PHARMACY
Plant extract marketed as part of Chinese traditional medicine linked to liver harm
More people have come forward reporting cases of serious liver harm from taking a plant extract called Artemisia annua, leading the Director General of Health to renew a public warning.
Read more here
PUBLIC HEALTH
Rheumatic fever more widespread than we think
Rates of rheumatic fever may be 18 percent higher than official figures show, according to new research by the University of Otago.
Read more here
Urgent meningococcal vaccination programme launched
The government has today given the go-ahead for a free vaccination programme against the deadly meningococcal disease in Northland.
Read more here
Anti-vaxxers make social media a misinformation minefield, says expert
Scaremongering on social media is putting parents off vaccinating their children, a top expert has warned.The Immunisation Advisory Centre director Dr Nikki Turner said well-meaning parents were falling foul of misinformation, choosing to believe the hype over their own doctors.
Read more here
TOBACCO, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Govt plans to ban in-car smokes around children
The government is making plans to ban smoking in cars carrying children under 18.
Read more here
Govt announces proposed plans to ban vaping in bars, restaurants and workplaces
A ban on vaping in bars, restaurants and workplaces is being proposed as part of the Government's plans to regulate the product.
Read more here
Number of synthetic drug users put in hospital almost doubles
The number of people hospitalised for synthetic cannabis use has almost doubled in the past two years.
Read more here
Dr Benedikt Fischer: Canada provides lessons on legal cannabis
COMMENT:
New Zealand is debating its cannabis policy, a process that led to legalisation of cannabis use and supply in Canada just last month. Since the two countries share many traits and values - and high cannabis use rates - they have many insights to share on these matters.
Read more here
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Samoa court rules trial of nurses before babies' inquest
The inquest in Samoa to determine why two one year old babies died after receiving the MMR injection has been stayed until the end of the trial of two nurses charged with their manslaughter.
Read more here
Language requirements for foreign nurses to be relaxed amid staffing crisis
Changes intended to ease the 'significant pressure' on workforce after figures revealed 42,000 nursing vacancies in England alone
Read more here
Alberta registered nurses will be allowed to prescribe drugs, order X-rays
CALGARY - Alberta's health minister says the province is expanding the ability of nurses to prescribe drugs and order X-rays.
Sarah Hoffman says the government will bring in new rules that will allow registered nurses and nurse practitioners to prescribe drugs in travel clinics, as part of sexually transmitted infection programs and at workplace health and safety clinics.
Read more here
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Achieving Equity in Health Outcomes: Highlights of selected papers
Both in New Zealand and globally, our ability to address equity challenges in health has significantly improved over the past decades. In the Western world life expectancy has increased for all populations. However persistent disparities in health access, quality of services and outcomes remain. In Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori and Pacific and those in low socioeconomic groups remain the most disadvantaged.
The Government has mandated the Ministry of Health to take a bold approach that delivers tangible changes to system behaviour with measurable results in a three to five-year horizon.
Read more here
Wehipeihana N, Were L, Goodwin D, Pipi K, 2018. Addressing the Challenges of Young Māori Women Who Smoke: A developmental evaluation of the phase two demonstration project. Evaluation Report. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
Smoking is the single leading preventable cause of early death in New Zealand and Māori smoking is significantly higher than smoking in the general population. To address the problem the Ministry is taking a closer look at how to address the problem of smoking among young Māori women.
Read more here
Exercise Pomare: Post Exercise Report
Exercise POMARE was an all-of-government influenza pandemic exercise led by the Ministry of Health.
This report provides an overview of the exercise and exercise proceedings, communicates findings from the exercise evaluation, and recommends actions that will enhance New Zealand’s capability and capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from an influenza pandemic.
Read more here
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 27 November 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
For more up to date news and information follow SNIPS at:
Facebook: Snips Info
twitter: @SnipsInfo
Back to blog entries
Menu