Nurses play vital role on the West Coast

16 August 2012

Nurses play vital role on the West Coast

The West Coast DHB is well aware of the vital role nurses play in delivering quality health care to the people living on the Coast.

In response to a statement from the College of Nurses, West Coast District Health Board, Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Karyn Kelly says, “This DHB has a long and proud history of facilitating nurses to work in expanded roles. We agree with the College of Nurses that nurses provide a high standard of health care and that is evident right across the Coast.

This week we are advertising for more nurses to join our workforce.

“We currently have a Nurse Practitioner working in our Rural Academic General Practice and we have identified Nurse Practitioner requirements in gerontology and in South Westland. The recruitment of nurses and GPs is equally as important in ensuring we meet the needs of our communities and our reliance on locums is no longer a viable long term solution.

Barbara Smith, West Coast DHB Associate Director of Nursing North says, “A Nurse Practitioner position has been approved for the Buller Integrated Family Health Centre (IFHC) and well as two more Rural Nurse Specialists to also work out of the Buller IFHC. These roles will work in close collaboration with our GP team and will supplement our existing integrated workforce.

Karyn Kelly says, “We have an extensive rural nurse specialist workforce which provides care from Karamea to Haast. We take a team approach on the Coast. Nurses work collaboratively with doctors to provide whole-of-life care to our rural West Coast communities.

“During the past few years we have done a considerable amount of work around post-graduate education for registered nurses and the West Coast DHB has a proportionally higher than average number of nurses who have completed post graduate qualifications including clinical Masters degrees.

“The way the West Coast has identified and developed nursing roles, and models of care informed the development of the expanded scope of practice development by the Nursing Council New Zealand,” says Karyn Kelly.

ENDS

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