News bulletin 16 November

on 16 November

Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.

No. 619 Wednesday 16 November 2022

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

New Zealand news

Successor to high-profile nursing leader appointed

Kate Weston has stepped into the shoes of the high-profile former executive director of the College of Nurses Aotearoa, Jenny Carryer

 

Mental health champion retires after 30 years | Otago Daily Times Online News

Heather Casey, Director of Nursing, Mental Health Addictions and Intellectual Disability, has retired from Te Whatu Ora Southern after working for 30 years in health care.

 

Theatre nurse hits career highs with NZ Army Reserve Force - NZDF | Voxy.co.nz

Winching out of a helicopter and rubbing shoulders with the top Australasian trauma surgeons and anaesthetists has theatre nurse Renee Heimgartner ...

 

ICU nurse recognised with second award | Otago Daily Times Online News

Award-winning transport nurse Toni Johnston. ... a National Service Award to nursing, awarded by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

 

International news

 Annette Kennedy, renowned nurse and nursing advocate, receives honorary degree

As president of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), Annette Kennedy represented 28 million nurses in 130 countries when they needed her most – during some of the most challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Nurses' pay demands 'simply not reasonable' as they plan first national walkout

Half of all hospitals to be affected as No 10 hits out at call for 'not deliverable' 17.6pc wage rise.

 

UK health secretary says nurses' pay demands not 'reasonable or affordable'

Steve Barclay adds he is 'saddened' by the RCN's proposed industrial action, saying it is in 'nobody's best interests'

 

Nurses' strike could delay surgery for up to 3m people in England - The Guardian

Up to 3 million patients in England could have their surgeries delayed because of the looming NHS-wide strikes by nurses, research shows.

 

Desperate NHS pays up to £2,500 for nursing shifts - BBC News

NHS bosses are increasingly paying premium rates for agency staff to plug holes in rotas, the BBC has found.

 

UK is pinching 1 in 4 of its nurses from countries with desperate shortages - openDemocracy

Exclusive: NHS gaps are seemingly being filled ‘at the expense of poorer countries’ with larger staffing shortfalls

 

The International Council of Nurses endorses World Health Organization training ...

The World Health Organization’s QualityRights e-training programme on mental health, recovery and  community inclusion course has been endorsed by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), and meets the standard for accredited nursing continuing education points

 

Half of nurses have considered leaving the nursing profession: poll - New York Post

A new survey of 1,000 American nurses found that nine in 10 believe the quality of patient care often suffers due to nursing shortages (90%).

 

I’m The “Nurse Who Called 911” For Help With Unsafe Staffing - Here's My Story | Opinion

Kelsay Irby is the ER Charge Nurse who made national headlines for calling 911 desperate for help with unsafe staffing at St. Michael Medical Center. Here’s her first-hand story of what really happened on the night of October 8, 2022. 

 

Aged care

Aged Care Matters Reveals Aged Depictions Of The PM And Deputy PM To Urge Government To Address Sector Underfunding

The impact on the aged residential care sector of chronic government underfunding is the focus of a creative advertising campaign launched today by Aged Care Matters.

 

Covid

Covid-19: Daily cases could peak at 11,000 if new variants cause another wave

Modelling suggests Covid-19 numbers could rise to a peak of 11,000 cases per day over December if new variants drive a third wave.

 

Government says no plans at this stage for annual Covid-19 booster for most people

Despite rising Omicron case numbers, hospitalisations and reinfections, the government has no plans yet to launch an annual Covid-19 vaccination booster for the majority of people. 

 

Covid-19 infections, hospitalisations rising, death rate likely to increase - Health Ministry

The Ministry of Health's latest analysis of Covid-19 shows rising infections, hospitalisations, and likely increasing deaths in the near future.

It expects to see a new peak for the country's current third wave, though the size of the peak is unknown.

 

Covid-19 NZ: How to control a pandemic without a lockdown
From kids staying away from school to babies suffering delayed development, the long-term consequences of pandemic controls are only now being revealed. Nikki Macdonald asks what we need to contain contagion without a lockdown.

 

Covid-19: Daily cases exceed 4000 for the first time since mid-August

The number of daily Covid-19 cases has risen above 4000 for the first time in three months.

 

Diabetes

'People living with diabetes to benefit from new training for support workers'

In recognition of World Diabetes Day and Diabetes Action Month, New Zealand Health Group today announced its commitment to providing specialist diabetes management training to KaiÄwhina [support workers and carers].

 

Education

AUT nursing students say they're unsupported, burnt out

Just weeks out from finishing their degrees, nursing students say they are at breaking point.

Third-year AUT students say they are under immense stress juggling 40-hour-a-week unpaid clinical placements alongside full-time study with no payment or compensation for expenses like petrol or hospital parking.

 

Health Minister acknowledges nursing student 'attrition' - RNZ

Dozens of AUT nursing students have contacted Checkpoint, sharing harrowing experiences of their final year of study. Some describe driving long ...

 

AUT nursing students cared for convicts, put in dangerous situations on placement

More harrowing stories have emerged about the treatment of AUT nursing students.

Nursing students have had to work a minimum of 1100 unpaid clinical hours alongside full-time study, with no payment or compensation for petrol or hospital parking.

Many were also juggling jobs to make ends meet.

 

Exclusive: 'We have to do better' - Government considering paid placements for nursing students

Health Minister Andrew Little wants nursing students to be paid for hospital placements “as soon as possible”, with officials actively considering significant reforms.

 

Nursing students call for paid placements - Shane Reti responds - RNZ

Third year nursing students are pleading to be paid during their hospital placements with many feeling broken and abused by the system before they are even fully trained. 

 

Ginny Andersen and Nicola Willis debate whether student nurses should be paid on placement?

Labour MP for the Hutt South Ginny Andersen and National's deputy leader Nicola Willis join Nick Mills every week for Politics Monday.

This week they debate whether student nurses should be paid on placement, changes to Three Waters legislation, The Reserve Bank's performance over the past five years and Adrian Orr being reappointed as Governor.

 

Emergency/urgent care

Nurses call for increased ED security following 'distressing' assault of patient | RNZ News

The Nurses Organisation is calling for increased security presence in emergency departments as wait times grow, following a brazen assault of a patient in North Shore Hospital's ED.

 

'We are in crisis,' says ED whistleblower who claims 10 shifts every 24 hours vacant

Staffing shortages at Rotorua Hospital’s emergency department have left gaps “equivalent to 140 shifts a fortnight”, a whistleblower claims.

 

24-hour online urgent care service expanding, taking pressure off emergency departments

While emergency department and urgent care waiting rooms fill up, an online service is trying to make the wait shorter.

 

Emergency department pressures: Te Whatu Ora 'doing what we can' - NZ Herald

Doctors and nurses are calling for Te Whatu Ora to fix the immense pressure on hospital emergency departments. Additional pressure would be placed ...

 

Hundreds spending 24 hours in busy EDs: 'Disaster waiting to happen'

Hundreds of people are spending 24 hours or longer in emergency departments each month, suggesting a staggering level of dysfunction across the health system which poses a serious risk to patients.

 

EDs 'totally safe' despite ballooning wait times, minister says | Stuff.co.nz

Health Minister Andrew Little says ballooning wait times across emergency departments, where hundreds are waiting 24 hours to be admitted or discharged each month, are a problem the Labour Government inherited.

 

Health inequities

Māori receive equitable ACC support once entitlement claims are accepted, study finds

ACC’s support of claimants once they’re already in the system are pretty much on par for Māori and non-Māori, a new study has found. Read more

 

Health NZ Te Whatu Ora

SDHB slated over woman's sepsis case | Otago Daily Times Online News

A woman suffering from severe sepsis was ready to be transferred from Dunedin Hospital before air ambulance crew refused to fly her because she was too unwell to travel.

 

Nurse unions take Te Whatu Ora to court over pay equity settlement - NZ Herald

Unions are taking their fight for pay equity for nurses to court, specifically concerning backpay they feel is owed to their members.

 

Health workforce and recruitment

 

Nurses call for action instead of 'talkfests' on staff shortages following hui with Minister and officials

Nurses say they're failing to keep patients safe because of staffing shortages, and the Government must take more action.

 

'Exhausted and demoralised': Healthcare workers plead for help amid burnout crisis

Aotearoa’s healthcare system is in crisis, with doctors packed, emergency departments overflowing, and surgeries delayed. Here, in their own words, frontline workers share their stories with Stuff, and plead for support.

 

Health vacancies double across sector suffering 'significant' shortages | Stuff.co.nz

Doctors and nurses have spoken about feeling burnt out, tired and suffering emotional distress as the number of vacant roles in the health workforce doubles to as much as 11% – a figure which would total about 9000 doctors, nurses and other workers.

 

Visa categories debated as pressure builds over residency for nurses - 1News

The number of overseas nurses applying for work visas to live and earn in New Zealand has declined rapidly over the past few months.

 

Overseas nurses applying for NZ work visas drops by 60 per cent - NZ Herald

The number of overseas nurses applying to work in New Zealand has dropped by about 60 per cent over the last three months.

 

Visa categories debated as pressure builds over residency for nurses - 1News

The number of overseas nurses applying for work visas to live and earn in New Zealand has declined rapidly over the past few months.

 

Campaign sells West Coast as natural choice for health workers

The West Coast is trying to entice health workers keen for a bit more adventure in their lives to become Coasters.

The recruitment campaign is a collaboration between Te Whatu Ora and Development West Coast.

 

Lack of hands-on training for new doctors - report | RNZ News

Some newly-graduated doctors warn the lack of hands-on learning during their training has left them feeling ill-prepared for the reality of dealing with emergencies.

 

The Medical Council Of New Zealand Releases 2022 Medical Workforce Survey Results

Te Kaunihera Rata o Aoteroa |The Medical Council of New Zealand today released the results of its New Zealand Medical Workforce in 2022 survey.

 

Mental health

Mental health workforce in 'crisis', with more than 500 nurses needed across NZ | Stuff.co.nz

The Labour Government says it has invested more into mental health – including boosting the workforce – than anyone else, but critics say staffing shortages have reached “crisis” point.

 

Christchurch's Hillmorton Hospital in-patient mental health unit may close | RNZ News

The National Party believes a growing number of mental health facilities could be in jeopardy because there are not enough workers to staff them.

 

Pasifika health

Government unveils plan to improve Pasifika health

Health New Zealand has launched an interim Pacific health plan – a commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of Pasifika in Aotearoa.  Read more

 

Private Health care

Private hospital theatre promises surgery for more public patients

Palmerston North’s public and private hospitals begin a new era of co-operation on Monday with the opening of a new operating theatre at Crest.

 

Respiratory

COPD: New Zealand's poorly understood respiratory killer

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the fourth leading cause of death in New Zealand, and it’s estimated that 15% of Kiwis over 45 live with this condition, yet very few people have ever heard of it.

 

Rural health

Inspiring The Future Of Rural Health

The Rural Health Careers Promotion Programme is inspiring the next generation of health professionals, whether they are just beginning tertiary study and have not considered medicine, or if they are medical students who had not considered practicing rurally.

 

Sexuality and sexual health

It's time to roll out at-home STI checks across Aotearoa - 1News

I recently got an STI screening for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and HIV - the full shebang.

 

Reports and Journals online

New QNI resource: "Living with Long Covid" 

We have published a new resource for nurses working in the community and primary care to support their knowledge base and practice around ‘Long Covid’, or Post-Covid Syndrome

 

Articles of interest

Maybe what I do know is wrong…’: Reframing educator roles and professional development for teaching Indigenous health. 

Francis-Cracknell, A., Truong, M., & Adams, K. (2022). ‘

Nursing Inquiry, e12531. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12531

Settler colonisation continues to cause much damage across the globe. It has particularly impacted negatively on Indigenous peoples’ health and wellbeing causing great inequity. Health professional education is a critical vehicle to assist in addressing this; however, non-Indigenous educators often feel unprepared and lack skill in this regard. In this qualitative study, 20 non-Indigenous nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy educators in Australia were interviewed about their experiences and perspectives of teaching Indigenous health. Findings from the inductive thematic analysis suggest educators require skill development to: identify their discomfort in teaching cultural safety; contextualise the sources of this discomfort and; reflect on how this understanding can improve their teaching. Additionally, educators require professional training to become practitioners of cultural humility and to be facilitators and colearners (rather than experts) of the Aboriginal-led curriculum. Of relevance to this is educator training in how to decentre non-Indigenous needs and perspectives. Educators can also renew their teaching practices by understanding what a dominant settler paradigm is, identifying if this is problematically present in their teaching and knowing how to remedy this. Crucial to improved cultural safety teaching is institutional support, which includes Indigenous leadership, institutional commitment, relevant policies, and well-designed professional development.

 

The article below is not freely available but may be accessed through databases and libraries to which readers have access. 

 

Indigenous Māori experiences of fundamental care delivery in an acute inpatient setting: A qualitative analysis of feedback survey data.

Pene, B.-J., Aspinall, C., Wilson, D., Parr, J., & Slark, J. (2022

 Journal of Clinical Nursing, 31, 3200– 3212. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16158

Aim and Objectives

This study aimed to explore inpatient healthcare delivery experiences of Māori (New Zealand's Indigenous people) patients and their whānau (extended family network) at a large tertiary hospital in New Zealand to (a) determine why Māori are less satisfied with the relational and psychosocial aspects of fundamental care delivery compared to other ethnic groups; (b) identify what aspects of care delivery are most important to them; and (c) contribute to the refinement of the Fundamentals of Care framework to have a deeper application of Indigenous concepts that support health and well-being.

Background

Bi-annual Fundamentals of Care audits at the study site have shown that Māori are more dissatisfied with aspects of fundamental care delivery than other ethnic groups.

 

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 16 November

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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