July 2011 PULSEthe newsletter of the Taranaki District Health Board Inside This Issue Christchurch and how we helped Staff reach new heights Chief Nurse visits Taranaki Taranaki Together, A Healthy Community Taranaki Whanui He Rohe Oranga Comments from CEO Tony Foulkes Thank you to everyone involved in getting to this stage and in advance for the work It’s widely accepted by to come on our ongoing service redesign clinicians and others to make the best use of the facility. involved that we need to change the way we Project Whakapai has moved to the implementation phase as the whole provide services, and organisation started to use the Health-e CEO Tony Foulkes how services relate to Workforce Solutions (HWS) allocations one another caring for tool to record the use of supplementary As we come to the conclusion of the same patients. staffing. our 2010/2011 year there are many achievements to celebrate and many Changing the way that supplementary challenges to continue to work on. Some of those changes may mean staffing is requested has required challenging ourselves about who does significant commitment from all areas I would like the opportunity to comment what, where, and when. This may also be and I wish to thank everyone who has on the challenges we’re facing as a DHB through the greater use of technology to contributed to the implementation of our and community. help clinicians, patients and their carers, improved systems. to have the information they need when The reality is that medicine and health in they most need it, and for it not to be It is great to see our staffing cost being general is changing all the time, not just duplicated in different places. This could contained within budget levels while still locally, but throughout New Zealand and mean more timely, and potentially better providing our services. Our challenge all around the world. In Taranaki, we need care or treatment. is to maintain this and proactively use to keep up with that wherever possible. improved information in the year ahead to We’ve got to be able to have the discussion have the planned staff available and live In health, no matter how much we have, and debate, in a way that people can within our means. we can always find a good use for more be open to genuinely listening to one money – and that’s the same globally. another. If we assume what we’ve got now is the best it can be, then we’ll be doing The DHB’s job though is to work with ourselves and our fellow community A further and final big people to get the best we can for all the members a disservice. thank you to everyone people of Taranaki with the resources who has made a huge we’ve got. That includes for example the From discussions I’ve had with clinicians skilled clinicians, support staff, carers, working in different settings I’ve asked contribution to our facilities, equipment and technology, in if in making changes to how we use our meeting of the six hospitals and the community. resources could people still be cared for national health targets. safely and appropriately. The answer is not These are indicative of In doing that job my biggest fear is the only yes, but potentially better than now. status quo. many improvements With this in mind a proposal for change to for our community – First of all because whilst everyone works improve integration of all services for the well done. to do a very good job, I think we can do people of South Taranaki will be consulted even better with and for Taranaki people; upon in July before being refined after and secondly because we can’t afford the feedback. I encourage everyone to status quo. participate in this process. It is exciting to see the early preparation This sounds like an work of Project Maunga beginning, with impossible conundrum the start date for construction officially the of doing the same end of August. or more, with better Two time lapse cameras are in place to outcomes, for less cost record the progress of the development – however I believe it is which will eventually be available via our achievable. website. 2 // PULSE Taranaki Whanui He Rohe Oranga Contents page 5 2. CEO Comments 13. The year in photos 4. Chief Nurse visits Taranaki 14. Arrivals and Departures 5. Releasing Time to Care 15. The gift of giving 6. Staff reach new heights 16. Disability MAY affect you 7. NASC relocate 17. Hoppy Happy with bus page 6 8. Hub for health 18. Parksmart! 9. World Smokefree Day 10. A day in the life our volunteers 12. New General Manager page 14 page 9 page 16 EDITORIAL PANEL The Pulse is the newsletter of the Key Lisa Hofstee Taranaki District Health Board. Honor Lymburn We welcome your ideas and Karlina Nickson contributions please submit them by ; website or intranet link Gillian Gonthier Marianne Pike email to: Tim Connole e email link Karla Fernee [email protected] Bronwen Pepperell x phone number extension e EDITOR For an interactive colour Gemma Gibson version of the Pulse visit: DESIGNER www.tdhb.org.nz Nick O’Sullivan ; PUBLISHER and PRINTER Communications Team Taranaki District Health Board David Street Private Bag 2016 New Plymouth 4342 Taranaki Together, A Healthy Community PULSE // 3 The Clinical Board has had a busy year so far. This is a quick snapshot of what they have been up to. A newly revised system of reports from therefore safer for both staff and patients. Early in the year the Clinical Board Heads of Departments has recently As part of the launch of this new policy, the sponsored an education session delivered been introduced. Heads of Departments Clinical Board invited Dr Cordelia Thomas, by Sandra Boardman, General Manager report on issues such as workload, audit/ Specialist Legal Advisor from the Health Planning, Funding and Population Health, research and staffing issues. This has been and Disability Commissioner to speak to about external changes to health care a useful source of information and will Grand Round on 16 June. This was a well and its effect on TDHB. shortly be made available more widely. received session and Dr Thomas will be a useful contact. The Clinical Board has also released An online survey was carried out to gain an understanding of staff knowledge a policy on Open Communications/ The Clinical Board aims to have a about the Clinical Board. The excellent Disclosure as part of service representative membership of both response from staff has encouraged improvement. The policy covers points internal staff from varied areas as well as the Clinical Board to produce a regular on what to do when an adverse event external members representing outside newsletter which they hope will outline happens to a patient. It is best practice and community interests. A “consumer important issues and inform staff more to communicate with patients and their participant” from the community is about what they do. The Clinical Board family/whanau about what has gone currently being advertised. thanks everyone for their feedback. You wrong and what will happen, including Staff online viewers can find these newsletters on the Clinical ways to prevent such an event in the Click here for more on Board intranet page. future. We hope this will make the ; the Clinical Board organisation more transparent and Chief Nurse visits Taranaki It was fitting to have the Ministry of Jane focussed her talk on the future of Health Chief Nurse, Jane O’Malley visit nursing and the new roles for nurses. on Tuesday 17 May, with International She emphasised leadership roles to be Day of the Nurse being celebrated only very important, and the new ‘Releasing days before. Time to Care’ programme will highlight this. Jane was invited by our Director of Nursing, Kerry-Ann Adlam to speak Managers will need to utilise their staff about National Nursing issues to the effectively. It will be about, “making University of Auckland Leadership sure there is no unsafe staffing but also Jane O’Malley, Chief Nurse Ministry of Health. Management Students. no waste of staffing” said Jane. Though she believes there is money to be saved She also spoke at an open forum by making the best use of a limited There is under 100 nurse practitioners allowing all nurses including those resource, she makes a point of stating in New Zealand that can diagnose and based around Taranaki to attend, it’s not all about cost cutting. prescribe medication to patients. A and visited staff in Ward 2 and the workforce that Jane says is growing. Emergency Department. “It is not about creating Jane’s role with the Ministry allows her to Associate Director of Nursing, Gail efficiency to create money influence nursing issues at the top. She Geange said, “It’s not often staff and but to preserve time that provides clinical leadership and advice Clinical Nurse Managers get to talk nurses can spend with their across Government and the health and to the Chief Nurse about their day to patients”. disability sector. day work and the achievements and challenges they face in their roles. It was Prior to her current role she was Director a great opportunity to have her here for Health services needs are changing all of Nursing for West Coast DHB for five the day”. the time and she considers nurses to years, Senior Lecturer for the Department be in a good position to adapt to this. of Psychological Medicine at Christchurch Those who attended Jane’s Jane says we need to invest in health at School of Medicine, and in 2007 was the presentation praised the Chief Nurse an earlier stage and increase the use of recipient of NZNO Award of Honour for as an approachable person and great nurses in services traditionally provided Services to Nursing.