Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand articles from September 2004

Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand archives from September 2004

Bridging the gap in mental health.(Editorial)
September 1, 2004... The past 15 years in mental health services throughout the country have seen significant changes. The interface between primary and secondary care has been one area that has suffered from seemingly constant flux and transition. Services have...

The dangers of diminishing the EN role.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I read with great interest Claire Vekony's Letter published in the Only Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand re the altered intravenous policy for enrolled nurses (ENs) at Hurt Hospital (p4-5). There has been a deliberate policy to undermine the role...

EN skills must be retained.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I have just been reading several articles in the June issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand (p26-29) about enrolled nurses (ENs). I am amazed that some ENs have been made redundant or their work responsibilities have been changed. And now they...

Apology for Nursing Council 'insult'.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... The good news about the Nursing Council's decision around enrolled nurses (ENs), their title and scope of practice, is that it's got nothing to do with nurses. Just like the Nursing Council--it too has nothing to do with nurses. We don't vote...

Objecting to writing a portfolio.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I am a bureau midwife and dead against having to produce a portfolio. I am competent at my job and want to be a worker, not a teacher, researcher or auditor. I want to go to work and Look after patients. I do not want to write stories about how...

Calling for respect and recognition.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... What do nurses want--from the job itself, their nursing leaders and managers, from Government, education and the public they serve, and our peers? Has anyone ever really asked these questions and Listened responsively to the answers? I...

Obstetric experience will be missed.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... Congratulations to Sue Barrier for speaking out in Last month's issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand (Does obstetric experience count for naught? Viewpoint, p22). As a registered nurse and midwife who has had the pleasure of working with...

Myths and facts about back injuries.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I read the article "How much can nurses handle?" in the July Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand (p 15) with great interest, as I have had a back injury resulting in time off work in the past. In recent years there has been much talk about...

Recording some Te Runanga history.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I have just returned from the Te Runanga O Aotearoa NZNO's annual general hui (AGH) in Ohope (see p25). I was particularly delighted to meet up again with Te Runanga's first kaumatua Hone Ahu. Hone was an important part of Te Runanga for many...

Calling for nursing stories.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I am delighted to report that I have now received a number of nursing stories in response to a request to readers in the 3une issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand for memories about their lives in nursing homes and enduring friendships from...

The president comments ...
September 1, 2004... The article "New nurses face endemic violence" in the June Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand (p12-14) caused me a great deal of concern. Not because I was shocked at the concept of nurses facing violence but because, aside from being the subject of...

Bid for minimum staffing levels unsuccessful.(News And Events)
September 1, 2004... Following concerted opposition from many aged-care providers, the attempt to establish minimum staffing levels in residential aged-care facilities, through the development of a staffing effectiveness standard, failed. Recommended minimum...

Nurse assistant title remains.(News And Events)
September 1, 2004... Despite concerted efforts by enrolled nursing (EN) students and recent EN graduates, NZNO, the Council of Trade Unions and various MPs, the Nursing Council is retaining the nurse assistant (NA) title. The Council is four scopes of practice came...

Meca talks break down--strike action possible.(News And Events)
September 1, 2004... The possibility of a nationwide nurses' strike loomed, as Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand went to press. Negotiations for a national multi-employer collective agreement (MECA) for all district health board (DHB) nurses and midwives broke down...

NZNO submissions support more funding for aged care, and the Civil Union Bill.(News And Events)
September 1, 2004... Caregivers' stories of their pay, working conditions and the satisfactions and challenges of their work, are the basis of an NZNO submission--Make Caregivers Count!--to the Health Select Committee. The committee has called for public...

Nurse practitioner proud of working in mental illness/intellectual disability area.(News And Events)
September 1, 2004... The country's Latest nurse practitioner (NP) Bernadette Forde (pictured right) is proud of the mental health sub-speciality in which she has her endorsement: those with a dual diagnosis of intellectual disability and mental illness. She says...

New mental health plan released.(News And Events)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Public consultation on the Ministry of Health's new national mental health and addiction plan is now underway. Improving Mental Health: the Draft Second National Mental Health and Addication Plan 2005-2015 aims to provide a focus for mental...

World Mental Health day theme.(News And Events)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... "The relationship between physical and mental health: co-occurring mental and physical disorders" is the theme of World Mental Health Day on October 10. This year's campaign will emphasise the important contribution of positive mental...

Mental health information on website.(News And Events)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... A new, educational website aimed at people with psychoses, those who want to understand mental illness and access resources easily, was launched during Schizophrenia Awareness Week earlier this year. The website, available at...

Book by mental health service users.(News And Events)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Our Lives in 2024: A Recovery Vision from People with Experience of Mental Illness is a new publication made with the assistance of the Mental Health Commission. The purpose of the 27-page booklet is to guide the development of the Ministry of...

Manukau Institute of Technology student wins top nursing award and Maori health scholarship.(News And Events)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) nursing student Leah Dixon has been awarded the prestigious John McLeod Award in recognition of excellence. The award, made by the Ministry of Health, recognises commitment to Maori health, leadership...

Major asthma research study receives funding boost.(News And Events)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The largest global research project on asthma and allergies in children has received a $10,000 funding boost from a local New Zealand organisation. The donation, from Dyson Appliances, will assist the International Study of Asthma and...

Announcing the new-look Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand.(News And Events)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... This month, Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand launches its new-look. This is in response to readership surveys last year which identified a need for a more contemporary Look and easier-to-read format. Among a number of changes, readers will...

Nurses standing for election to DHBS.(News And Events)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... A number of nurses are standing for election to district health boards (DHBs) in next month's local body elections. They include Otaki nurse Anne Chapman, a member of MidCentral DHB since 2001; senior lecturer at Victoria University's Graduate...

Nursing innovation at the heart of immunisation campaign: a great deal of nursing innovation and creativity lie behind the successful meningococcal immunisation school-based programme, now underway in Counties Manukau District Health Board.(News Focus)
September 1, 2004... The Meningococcal B immunisation school-based campaign, launched in Counties Manukau District Health Board (DHB) last month, is a unique opportunity for public health nurses (PHNs) to show their readiness to respond to the epidemic, using their...

Measuring on-the-job stress accurately.(Health And Safety)
September 1, 2004... Measuring job stress is difficult but there are some useful generic tools available. A New Zealand study using one such tool revealed high levels of stress in a regional women's health service. But the tool could be developed further by...

Liaising between the police and mental health: a ground-breaking mental health nursing role in Rotorua, liaising between the police and mental health services, has seen arrest rates drop, changed attitudes to those with mental illness, and treatment starting earlier.(Profile)
September 1, 2004... Jeanette Knight had just the right combination of qualifications for the groundbreaking role she took on nearly three years ago. A psychiatric nurse with 20 years' experience, married to a policeman and with a son a policeman, she was well...

Caring for prisoners' mental health: prison nursing is a specialised area of practice, demanding a wide range of nursing skills and a good dose of life experience. Here one prison nurse outlines some of the challenges of caring for the mental health of prisoners.(Profile)
September 1, 2004... The number of mentally ill clients entering prisons has increased significantly over the past five years. (1) The reasons for this have been debated for some time, but those with mental illness end up in prison because they have either not...

Northland celebrates 100 years of midwifery: as New Zealand celebrates 100 years of midwifery registration and regulation this year, midwives at Whangarei Hospital look back on a long and proud history.(History)
September 1, 2004... Over the last 100 years, women, whanau and families in Northland have been well served by midwives and other health professionals during their birthing experiences. The College of Midwives' centennial travelling roadshow, BORN: Midwives...

A farewell to midwifery: a long-time independent midwife writes an obituary on the career which has shaped the person she has become, and which has provided her with a great deal of personal and professional satisfaction.(Profile)
September 1, 2004... Giving up midwifery has been unexpectedly easy. My circumstances have made it essential, but the reality of stopping is a little greyer. The honest truth is that for the last two years or so I have had Less heart for my job. I believe good...

Dealing with mental health stigma at work: nurses who have had mental health problems often encounter prejudice when they return to work. One nurse, who has had first-hand experience of such stigma, is determined to make a difference.(Profile)
September 1, 2004... Five years ago, registered nurse Tina Lane became seriously mentally unwell for the first time in her life. Over a two-year period she was admitted to five inpatient mental health units and referred to three different treatment centres. Today...

Meeting the needs of refugee children: helping resolve the complex mental health needs of refugee children living in New Zealand is the aim of a new intersectoral service in Auckland.(News Focus)
September 1, 2004... ON TRACC, Auckland's Transcultural Care Centre, offers an intersectoral approach to severe behavioural and mental health issues for children and young people from refugee backgrounds living in the central city. Established as a pilot...

Honouring Putiputi O'Brien at Te Runanga hui: Bay of Plenty/Tairawhiti hosts annual general hui.(Te Runanga)
September 1, 2004... "Collaboration in action" was the theme for Te Runanga O Aotearoa's annual, general hui held at Te Naungarongo Marae in Ohope Last month. The three-day hui was hosted by Te Runanga komiti member Mike Katipa and his whanau from the Bay of...

Nurses under pressure during restructures and reviews: reviews and restructuring are happening in a number of district health boards at present, increasing nurses' workloads and stress levels. Despite this, nurses are still supporting each other and contributing positively to review processes.(Professional Focus)
September 1, 2004... NZNO president Jane O'Malley in her column in the July issue of Koi Tiaki Nursing New Zealand (p8) outlined the frustrations of being involved in the restructure of Canterbury Health Ltd in 1995. This saw the loss of 39 senior nurses. In...

What if we really cared? The aged-care sector has long been the poor relation in the health service. Chronically under-funded, with a low-paid, high-turnover workforce, the sector is in crisis. NZNO wants to change that and is launching a new deal for aged care.(Industrial Focus)
September 1, 2004... NZNO wants a new deal for workers, clients and employers in the aged-care sector. All unions, employers and consumer groups within the sector agree that aged-care services are significantly under funded. The prices paid by Government for...

Nurse Maude staff strike for more pay.(Sector Reports)
September 1, 2004... NZNO members in the private hospital sector are fired up and have taken to NZNO's bargaining strategy tikes ducks to water--let's hope they come out still swimming! Nurse Maude: Christchurch The Nurse Maude collective agreement (CA)...

Plunket offer moves towards pay parity.(Sector Reports)
September 1, 2004... Plunket members vote this month on an offer to settle their collective agreement (CA). The offer represents significant progress towards our goals of pay parity and pay equity. The new CA, if ratified, would provide for: * a one-year...

Proposed settlement reached at Presbyterian support.(Sector Reports)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Mediation took place last month to settle pay negotiations for 11 South Island Presbyterian Support (PS) aged-care hospitals. The priorities were an acceptable wage increase and an extra allowance for working on Saturdays. The Saturday...

Nurse clinician certification.(Sector News)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... NZNO's Certification Committee invites registered nurses to apply for certification as nurse clinician. This credentialling process is focused on expertise within an area of practice. The nurse clinician title recognises a registered nurse...

Ear nurses gather in Gisborne.(Sector News)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Paikea, the waiata from the small East Coast settlement of Whangara and a theme song for the film Whale Rider (also filmed in Whangara), greeted ear nurse specialists from throughout the country as they gathered in Gisborne for their two-day...

District nurses discuss community innovations.(Section News)
September 1, 2004... Over 120 delegates attended the 12th district nursing conference in Auckland in July, hosted by the Counties Manukau District Health Board (DHB). The theme "Walk the talk: innovations in the community" was evident throughout the...

NZNO position statement on RONs.(Section News)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... NZNO and the Registered Obstetric Nurses (RON) Section (NZNO) welcome the Nursing Council's of New Zealand's announcement last month on scopes of practice for registered obstetric nurses. The NZNO position on RONs is: 1) NZNO supports...