News bulletin 21 September

on 21 September

Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.

No. 611 Wednesday 21 September 2022

Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally

 New Zealand news

 Nurses critical of Health Minister's comments to conference - RNZ

Nurses held signs asking for pay equity but were left disappointed with the Health Minister's comments at the nurses' union annual conference.

 

Recipients of Hiwa-i-te-rangi Maori Health Leadership Scholarship announced | Voxy.co.nz

An aspiring nurse, nurse practitioner, clinical psychologist, and a St John's ambulance medic, who all strive to make meaningful change and ...

 

'Ridiculous' red tape stymies efforts to get more people to return to nursing | Stuff.co.nz

The Return to Nursing Fund, administered by Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, was designed to remove financial barriers for nurses who wished to return to nursing but needed training because of their time out of the workforce. Eligible applicants could get up to $5000 each.

 

Nurses jump on bikes to get insulin to patients when accident closes road | Stuff.co.nz

It was Call The Midwife jokes all-round as these nurses came to the rescue on two wheels when a serious crash blocked their route to work.

 

International news

Emergency Rooms Across Canada Close Amid Nursing Shortage - The New York Times

A nationwide shortage of nurses has caused dozens of emergency rooms ... president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, said at a news ...

 

Nurses' Strike Plans Divide Finnish Government - USNews.com

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's five-party coalition government is embroiled in an internal dispute over the rights of Finnish nurses to go on strike at several intensive care units (ICUs) while the Nordic country struggles with a severe lack of healthcare personnel.

 

Too few nurses qualifying to replace those leaving in UK, finds WHO

The UK has a high proportion of nurses approaching retirement age, and a comparatively low number of nurses qualifying and entering the profession to replace them, research has highlighted.

 

Prison nurse Georgina Melody refused first aid to 'Baby A' - fronts coroner's court in Melbourne

A prison nurse who refused to perform first aid on an unresponsive newborn inside a women's prison maintains she did her job by the book. 

Prison nurse Georgina Melody, a New Zealand national who had been in Australia a little over a year when 'Baby A' died, had only taken up the night-shift position with Victoria's Dame Phyllis Frost Centre six months before the tragedy. 

 

Aged care

Aged care sector desperate for nurses to fill shifts | Stuff.co.nz

Registered aged care nurses are reportedly working up to 16 hours in shifts and managers are sleeping on site for several nights a week to make sure rosters are covered amid critical staffing shortages.

 

Children and young people

Whanau Awhina Plunket appoints Fiona Kingsford as chief executive

WhÄnau Äwhina Plunket - the country‘s largest provider of care to tamariki under five and their whÄnau - has a new leader.

Board Chair Dame Fran Wilde today announced the appointment of Fiona Kingsford as chief executive, replacing Amanda Malu who has left after six years.

 

Researchers work with the community to improve children’s lives

Canterbury health, wellbeing and educational experts have come together with tangata whenua and Pacific Island groups in a ground-breaking collaboration to improve outcomes for the region’s youngest and most vulnerable.

 

'Partnership to develop specialist youth mental health first aid programme'

An innovative international Mental Health First Aid training programme focused on supporting youth aged 11-18 is set to be piloted in the Southern Lakes region and rolled out across New Zealand in the next 12 months.

 

Covid

Nurses see risk in Covid green light - Waatea News: Māori Radio Station

The kaiwhakahaere of the Nurses Organisation warns people will get sick and die with the dropping of the Covid traffic light system because there aren’t enough nurses.

 

Dental care

Fear more children may end up in hospital amid rise in delays for dental check-ups

Children are facing delays of up to two years to have routine dental check-ups amid a “colossal” staffing shortage, triggering concerns that more youngsters may end up needing treatment in hospital.

 

Education

Jump in nursing study enrolments - Wairarapa Times-Age

UCOL Wairarapa is seeing high interest in first-year nursing courses for next year.

Since applications opened in mid-August, 22 people have applied for the first-year Bachelor of Nursing. These applications were sent before UCOL released its 2023 marketing campaign.

 

NorthTec move to national body will lead to more support and courses for students, says CEO

Northland tertiary institute NorthTec will become part of Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology from October, but the move will give more support - and courses - for students, and benefit employers and the wider community, says NorthTec's Te Ahurei chief executive, Toa Faneva.

 

Emergency/urgent care

Palmerston North Hospital ED plans children's-only waiting area

Parents rushing their sick children to Palmerston North Hospital's under-pressure emergency department will soon be able to wait away from weekend drunks and other distractions.

 

HDC cases and disciplinary action

Impact of cognitive bias and lack of critical thinking on diagnostic decision-making - HDC

The importance of considering different diagnoses, and the impact that cognitive biases and a lack of critical thinking can have on diagnostic decision-making was highlighted in a decision by Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell.

 

Health inequalities

The health gap: How living in the regions can be bad for your health | Stuff.co.nz

In January a Taranaki mother was told she would have surgery within six weeks to relieve the intense pain she was suffering.

That six weeks stretched to 32, her operation cancelled four times before finally happening on Thursday.

 

Health NZ Te Whatu Ora

The hospitals enabling patients to book appointments in te reo Māori

Kiwis living in the country’s largest health district will now be able to book appointments and receive confirmation emails in te reo Māori.

 

Rural health services suffering under Dargaville Medical Centre staff shortages - NZ Herald

One of Kaipara's biggest medical centres which is looking after over 12,000 registered patients is down half its doctors due to the ongoing medical staff shortage.

 

Health workforce and recruitment

Adequate healthcare funding vital to attract medical staff - Otago Daily Times

The need for medical professionals in New Zealand is  going to take more than the proposed policy of simply reducing taxes to attract them, writes Gil Barbezat.

 

Mental health

Age no barrier for determined wahine graduate | Stuff.co.nz

The road to graduation has not been an easy one for Alice Adair.

The 68-year-old has celebrated finishing her apprenticeship in Mental Health with Careerforce, a journey that took her four and half years.

 

'There's no shame': Mum who had postnatal depression says NZ's approach needs to change

Six weeks after her daughter was born, Brittany Saunders started feeling really down. She struggled to get through the day, wasn’t enjoying things she typically would and felt “overwhelmed”.

 

Primary health care

Free GP visits not the answer for Middlemore’s under-pressure ED, review finds 

There is “limited evidence of any direct benefits” from a free GP visit scheme which was intended to take pressure off an overloaded emergency department, a review has found.

 

Health care moves into the heart of Ashhurst village | Stuff.co.nz

Ashhurst was home to a rare and unusual sight on Monday – an empty health centre waiting room.

But the team on duty on Ashhurst Health Care’s first day did not expect that would last.

 

Public health

The ethical case for healthcare vaccines | Stuff.co.nz

John McMillan is a professor at the Bioethics Centre, University of Otago. He is editor in chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics.

OPINION: The Government’s announcement that the Covid-19 traffic light system will end will be welcomed by many

 

Articles of interest

Keeping nurses in nursing: a qualitative study of German nurses’ perceptions of push and pull factors to leave or stay in the profession.

Roth, C., Wensing, M., Breckner, A. et al. 

 BMC Nurs 21, 48 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-00822-4

The increasing nursing shortages worldwide has focused attention on the need to find more effective ways to recruit and retain nurses. The aim of this study was to gain understanding of factors that keep German nurses in nursing and explore their perceptions of factors that contribute to nurses leaving or staying in the profession.

 

Umbrella review: Newly graduated nurses' experiences of providing direct care in hospital settings. 

Kaldal, M. H., Conroy, T., Feo, R., Grønkjær, M., & Voldbjerg, S. L. (2022). 

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 00, 1– 12. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15434

To summarize existing research syntheses reporting newly graduated registered nurses' experiences of providing direct care in hospital settings.

 

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 20 September

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

Areas of Interest