Message from the Co-Chairs

As we near the end of 2021, and whilst restrictions are easing and vaccination rates are increasing across the motu (land), we are still experiencing continued pressures, with the longer-term consequences of COVID-19 felt throughout health and care services.

We know our nursing professionals and their teams, at every level are working incredibly hard, providing the best treatment, care and support possible, often in complex clinical situations and changing circumstances.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued professionalism and hard mahi (work) during this period of unrelenting pressure, and to renew the assurances of support we’ve made as we transition into an endemic state of living with COVID-19.

As we enter the latter stages of the year it’s important that you also take care of your own health and wellbeing. There are a range of supporting resources available from your employer (Raise formerly EAP), health provider (Brief Intervention Services) and nationally (1737). We also hope that you get to spend some joyful and restful time in the company of whānau and friends.

Thank you once again for continuing to work so hard to care for so many in these unprecedented times. Your mahi (work) is making an immeasurable difference to the lives of people across Aotearoa. We want to pay tribute to all of you for your professionalism, innovation and determination.

Noho ora mai rā i roto i ngā manaakitanga katoa. (Look after yourself and may you remain well.)

E tino hiahia na te Kaunihera Tapuhi o Aotearoa ki te tuku mihi nui rawa atu mō te Kirihimete ki a koutou me ō koutou whānau. Meri Kirihimete me te wawata ka noho marie, noho harikoa ka noho hauora hoki koutou mō te tau hou.

The Nursing Council of New Zealand wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful, happy, healthy New Year.

Tania Kemp                                                                           Maria Armstrong
Co-Chair                                                                                Co-Chair

Message from the Chief Executive

In the face of the global pandemic nurses continue to step up and are at the forefront of all COVID-related healthcare initiatives. As Chief Executive of the Nursing Council, ngā mihi nui and best wishes to you all for a safe and happy holiday season with whānau and loved ones. It is with pleasure that I share with you all some wonderful artwork received last month from nine-year-old India. This kind gesture from India is an inspiration to continue with courage, resilience and heart for the work you achieve.

The new year will bring with it new challenges. As well as moving into a new stage of living with COVID, we will be working with reforms to the health system and ongoing changes in the education sector. As always, though, I am pleased and proud that the public can have confidence in the quality, commitment, and professionalism that nurses demonstrate every day. Kia pai ngā hararei!



Catherine Byrne
Pouārahi/Pouroki - Chief Executive/Registrar

Congratulations to new graduates and nurse practitioners

The Council congratulates and welcomes the 1,940 new graduate nurses who joined the profession this year, as well as our 60 successful nurse practitioner candidates. We would especially like to acknowledge your achievements and to thank the nurses in practice and education that have supported new nurses this year. We hope you can all take the time over the holiday season to celebrate your success and look forward to what will be an incredibly rewarding career ahead. Tino pai rawa atu!

Profile: Dr Deborah Harris

 

To celebrate 20 years of the Nurse Practitioner Mātanga Tapuhi scope, in this pānui we profile Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Nurse Practitioner: Dr Deborah Harris. Today, Dr Harris is a neonatal nurse practitioner and clinically focused researcher working at Capital and Coast DHB and Victoria University of Wellington. Read more.

Council office closing dates over the holiday season

Our office closes at 4:30pm on Thursday 23 December and will reopen at 9am on Monday 10 January 2022. However, we will be available via email [email protected] from Wednesday 5 January if you need to contact us urgently.

Remember that you do require a current annual practising certificate to work over this time, and if your renewal date is 31 December 2021, please renew your APC prior to the office closing. During the time when our office is closed the online renewal system, MyNC, will be available through our website.

Supplementary Education Standards

Since the emergence of COVID-19, we have been working with the education sector to minimise the pandemic’s effect on nursing students/ tauira. As part of this we have been developing a set of supplementary education standards that will enable easier recognition of COVID response activities as part of clinical learning hours, when normal placement arrangements are affected by the pandemic.

We consulted on draft standards from 17 November to 13 December through both open submissions and targeted hui. These involved engagement with and input from a wide range of people and organisations, including educators, clinical providers, professional and sector representatives, and tauira. Thank you to everyone who participated in this process. The Council is now considering your feedback and will release finalised supplementary standards in early 2022.

Visitors  vaccination requirements

The Nursing Council now requires visitors to its physical offices to be vaccinated. This means you'll be asked to show your vaccination pass (or an official exemption) at our Reception. By confirming you're vaccinated we can ensure that our workplace is as safe as possible for visitors and for staff.

Guidance on anti-vaccination messaging

We'd like to acknowledge the difficult conditions and environment in which nurses have cared for their patients during the COVID pandemic. We are proud to be your Council, however, we are still receiving notifications about nurses who are using their professional standing to spread anti-vaccination messaging. Please read the Council's guidance statement so you understand your obligations to patients and your profession.

Update on Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal Decisions

The following Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal Decision is now available on www.hpdt.org.nz under "Recent Decisions"

The reference number is Nur20/491P

The HPDT requires the Council to provide this information to the profession.