primary health care MECA – Kaitiaki Nursing New Zealand

September 2023

Ground down and left in the lurch

By Vincent Theunissen

September 7, 2023

I write to express my profound disappointment and dismay after reading the recent article “Disappointed primary health nurses pin hopes on pay equity”.

September 2023

‘Disappointed’ primary health nurses pin hopes on pay equity claim

By Mary Longmore

August 31, 2023

NZNO is preparing to “urgently” lodge a pay equity claim for primary health care (PHC) members, who narrowly voted to accept a pay deal after two years of bargaining and a strike.

July 2023

Primary health care will ‘implode’ — eight per cent not enough to stem practice nurse haemorrhage

By Mary Longmore

June 2, 2023

Practice nurses say an eight per cent pay rise is a “step” closer to hospital nurses’ salaries — but does not go nearly far enough.

April 2023

Ex-minister gets schooled in primary health care as nurses get political

By Cate Macintosh

March 22, 2023

While full-time lobbyists are paid big bucks to door-knock politicians, primary health care nurses are taking time out of their work days caring for patients to do the same. Kaitiaki tagged along for one such visit – to former minister, National list MP Gerry Brownlee.

December 2022

Pay parity solution ‘well before’ end of year: Minister

By Cate Macintosh

November 2, 2022

Negotiations over a pay deal for primary health care and Whānau Awhina Plunket nurses have stalled since the group went on strike last week, but Health Minister Andrew Little says he’s confident a solution will be found by Christmas.

Uncut – news briefs

17 Sept	Dr Le Heron takes title of 2024 Alzheimers NZ Fellow Distinguished neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist, Dr Campbell Le Heron, has been made the 2024 Alzheimers NZ Fellow for his work researching and managing cognitive disorders.
11 Sept	Aged care will be worse off if redesign rushed New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care.
11 Sept	Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today.
10 Sept	ICN launches new position statement and discussion paper setting out a revolution in the delivery of Primary Health Care The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is launching its new position statement and a discussion paper on Primary Health Care (PHC) at its Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nursing Network (NP/APN Network) Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland.
9 Sept	First cancer medicine decision following Pharmac funding boost Pharmac has decided to widen access to two medicines for several types of cancer. Pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda) will be funded from 1 October 2024 for eligible people with advanced triple-negative breast cancer, head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma. Nivolumab (branded as Opdivo) will be funded from 1 November for eligible people with kidney cancer.
6 Sept	Health agencies working with Police on rebalancing roles for mental health responses Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora and the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora are working with Police to change some of the ways agencies respond to mental health. The change will see an increased health-led response, supporting Police to focus on core Policing.
4 Sept	Nurses’ bargaining starts with action for safe staffing Nurses are kicking off their collective bargaining with Te Whatu Ora by taking action for safe staffing on Friday, New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says.
29 Aug	Te Whatu Ora redundancy proposal in breach of collective agreements Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora’s call for employees to end their employment via voluntary redundancy is in breach of the established consultation processes, New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says.
28 Aug	ICN urges nurses to be vigilant after WHO declares mpox an international public health emergency The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has called for extra vigilance in the wake of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration that the upsurge in mpox 2024 outbreaks in the African region constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
27 Aug	Retirees to rally for safe Aged Residential Care Wellington retirees will rally tomorrow to protest staffing cuts at Aged Residential Care facilities. They want a fair go for staff and residents.
26 Aug	Mental health declines, relationships and jobs at risk without HRT, survey results show A nationwide survey that canvassed over 2000 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users has proven how critical hormones are to general health, productivity, and mental wellness.
23 Aug	Govt funding boosts immunisation in high needs communities Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti has welcomed preliminary data on a major immunisation initiative, saying it reinforces a commitment to get resources and funding out of a Wellington-based bureaucratic tangle and directly to frontline providers.
22 Aug	Dargaville nurses to strike over doctor shortage Staff at Dargaville Hospital are sick and tired of working in fear because of the unavailability of an on-site doctor. Therefore, members of New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) will strike for one hour to voice their frustrations on 29 August.
22 Aug	New health report makes recommendations to support rural primary healthcare A new report about rural primary care identifies inequities in service provision, major pressures on funding and workforce, unsustainably high levels of clinical risk, and barriers for patients to access care when and where they need it.
19 Aug	ICN contributes to Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has submitted a comprehensive evidence-based report highlighting gravely concerning nurse recruitment trends, as part of the latest reporting round on implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.
16 Aug	Health NZ corrects the record: Whangārei Hospital remains open Whangārei Hospital Emergency Department continues to accept patients and new admissions and any claims otherwise are false and inaccurate.
13 Aug	Healing Humanity Initiative Launches with First Grant to 3D Hands The Healing Humanity Initiative, in collaboration with the Hunt Family Foundation, is thrilled to launch and announce its first grant of $20,000 to Free 3D Hands.
8 Aug	Cutting frontline services will result in worsening mental health outcomes Family violence is likely to increase, more young people will switch off at school and there will be a worsening of mental health outcomes thanks to the Government’s latest cost-cutting exercise.
6 Aug	Update on cancer drug Keytruda access Health New Zealand is moving forward implementation planning to ensure a small group of cancer patients can take advantage of free early access to the drug Keytruda shortly ahead of Pharmac starting to fund the medication.
6 Aug	Govt delivers on overdue Christchurch ED unit Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says delivery of a long overdue Emergency Observation Unit for Christchurch Hospital will reduce admissions, free up valuable resources across the hospital and help deliver on shorter stays in Emergency Departments.