Close to 3,000 Cantabrians Now Have Electronic Advance Care Plans
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CEO UPDATE 11 March 2019 Close to 3,000 Cantabrians now have electronic Advance Care Plans How do you want to be cared for at the end of your life? Dying is something none of us really want to think about, but when the time comes, having our loved ones and health care teams know about the treatment and care we want is definitely preferable. For example, where would you want to be cared for if you could no longer care for yourself and what type of care would you like towards the end of your life? What types of treatment would you prefer not to have? That is where Advance Care Planning (ACP) comes in – thinking about and sharing our future health care and end- of-life care. It’s about identifying what matters to you and Eighty-seven percent of Canterbury’s general practices making sure it happens. support patients to create ACPs. For those who work in health care, knowing a patient’s To encourage people around the whole of New Zealand to values and what is important to them can make their plan for their future health care a campaign ‘Kia korero/ treatment approach clearer and easier to follow, ensuring Let’s talk’ has been launched featuring the personal we maintain their integrity and mana. stories of six New Zealanders at different stages of life and And it’s vital in helping people take control of their own wellness. health, particularly if they are no longer able to speak for The campaign is part of the ACP programme managed by themselves. the Health Quality & Safety Commission and supported by In Canterbury, ACP has become an increasingly common district health boards. part of the Canterbury healthcare landscape. The number One of the people featured is Cheryl Cameron, a retired of ACP conversations and ACPs generated has grown documentary filmmaker. Since being diagnosed with significantly in the last few years and we now have close to Parkinson’s disease 11 years ago she has taken up dancing 3,000 electronic ACPs completed by people in the region. the tango. She now helps run therapeutic tango classes Since the programme was established across health for people with neurological conditions. Her Advance Care settings in Canterbury, the majority of patients with ACPs Plan focuses on her choices to continue with tests and are dying in their preferred place and half as many patients treatments, or not. with ACPs are dying in hospital as the general population. In this issue › Regulars... pg 4-6 › First Nurse Prescriber in Child Health › Change of alcohol-based hand rub coming › Locally developed simulator training division | New leave calendar now available to you soon... pg 13 surgeons from around the world... pg 7 on max... pg 10 › Medical student records a drop in gastro › Sue Miles thanked for her pivotal role... pg 8 › Giving a warm fuzzy... pg 11 cases in children... pg 14 › Canadian First Nations group warmly › Māia Health Foundation raising money to › One minute with... pg 15 welcomed... pg 9 help staff care for neonates... pg 12 › Notices... pg 16-20 1 11 March 2019 Another is Clive Aspin. Clive and his partner Terry talked about putting together an Advance Care Plan when they bought their new house and wrote their wills. Clive wants to make sure he is with his loved ones at the end of his life and that it is as pain-free as possible. With family in different countries, it was important to document his future health care wishes. On 5 April there is an Advance Care Planning day that will encourage people to start making an Advance Care Plan. You can do your Advance Care Plan online at www.myacp.org.nz. Minister for Health the Hon. David Clark at the launch of the Health Quality and Safety Commission Advance Care Planning Programme Renewable energy for Christchurch Hospital Health Minister Dr David Clark says two new woody “This investment will tackle that vulnerability and ensure biomass boilers for Christchurch Hospital will improve the critical energy supply for the hospital is modern and the Canterbury DHB’s resilience and environmental reliable. sustainability. “The new boilers will use sustainably produced wood Polytechnik Biomass Energy, based in Austria, has been biomass, which is a renewable resource and affordable. The awarded the contract to design, manufacture and install boilers are a great way to dispose of waste wood, and will replacements for the current coal-fired boilers. The total emit far less carbon dioxide than conventional fossil fuels.” budget for the project is approximately $45 million. It is expected that construction of the new Energy Centre “The existing boiler house at Canterbury DHB’s main will get underway in late 2019, and that the project will be hospital campus was damaged in the 2011 earthquake completed by the end of 2020 or early 2021. and is at increased risk of failure in the event of another For more information, read the media release here. significant earthquake,” says Dr Clarke. General measles update, and an advisory from the Ministry of Health for staff We issued clinical advice/information on Friday on the your General Practice team for advice. Occupation Health recommended approach to managing members of the numbers will be answered during normal ‘office hours’ public presenting with measles. Monday – Friday. Here is some more general information for all staff. General staff vaccination clinics will be scheduled by Occupational Health once we have sufficient supply of Our current situation the MMR vaccine. We will let you know when and where. We now have 25 confirmed cases of measles in Canterbury Our advice to the public is that measles is now in and due to the number of tests pending we expect that widespread circulation and people who aren’t fully immune number to rise. could be exposed to the risk of infection anywhere in Staff should be on the lookout for these symptoms: Canterbury. › a cough or choryza (inflammation of the mucous Only people who were born before 1969 or have had membrane of the nose or throat, similar to a cold) or two MMR vaccinations are considered fully protected. conjunctivitis, and Immunisation is the only sure way to avoid getting measles. › a high fever, and Members of the public are being advised to contact their › a rash. general practice team if they are unsure of their immune If you think you may have measles, or have reason to status and the practice will advise whether they need believe you may have been exposed to measles and are the MMR vaccine, and subject to the available supply of not confident you are immune, call Occupational Health or vaccine, make the appropriate arrangements. You may be 2 11 March 2019 aware that there are local shortages of vaccine supply in pregnancy). The contraindications and side effects are Canterbury (some General Practices are reporting having outlined in the New Zealand Forumlary, Immunisation run out), but 18,000 doses will arrive in Canterbury this Handbook and data sheet. week. Demand for the vaccine is high - two months’ supply MMR immunisation should be offered to all healthcare at the usual usage rate was used in just two days last week. workers who have not received two doses of MMR vaccine An advisory from the Ministry of Health or who do not have serological evidence of protection for measles, mumps and rubella. For any adult born since The Ministry wishes to remind all healthcare professionals 1969 in New Zealand who has received only a single dose and other people working in health care facilities, who of MMR in childhood, a second dose is recommended were born on 1 January 1969 or later, to ensure that they to achieve full protection, particularly against measles. If are protected against measles. Healthcare workers are at two doses of MMR vaccine are required, the second dose greater risk of contracting measles (and other preventable should be given four weeks after the initial dose. diseases) than the general public, and risk passing on disease to vulnerable patients including infants. For information about protecting patients in the waiting room, see www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and- Measles patients are infectious five days before and until conditions/measles-information-health-professionals five days after the rash appears, which means they can pass the disease on before they realise they are unwell. If a non-immune person is exposed to the disease, they are very likely to develop the condition themselves, and may need to be excluded from work for at least two weeks until they can prove immunity or are no longer infectious. If you do not know your immunity status and come into contact with measles, you will also need to be stood down from work during the possible incubation period until your immunity status is clarified. Most people born in the 1970s or 1980s will have been offered one dose of measles vaccine as children. Those born from the 1990s onwards may have been offered two doses. If you are not sure how many doses you have had, talk to your doctor as the information may be in your medical records. If you cannot demonstrate immunity or have not had two doses, vaccination is recommended, provided you have no contraindications (such as Haere ora, haere pai Go with wellness, go with care David Meates CEO Canterbury District Health Board If you have a story idea or want to provide feedback on CEO Update we would love to hear from you! Please email us at [email protected]. Please note the deadline for story submissions is midday Thursday.