The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners

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College News

Merry Christmas

Thank you for your support of the College's work this year.

We look forward to an exciting 2012 and hope you enjoy the festivities and have a relaxing break with family and friends.

Over the Christmas and New Year period, the College will officially be closed to members from Noon, 23 December 2011 and will re-open 8 am, Monday 9 January 2012.

For urgent media enquiries between these dates, please call 021 02781909.

This is the last edition of ePulse for 2011. ePulse will recommence on Tuesday 17 January 2012.

Register now for the Quality Symposium

When: 10 - 11 February 2012

Where: The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Oceania Room, Wellington

DON'T MISS OUT - Registrations close 27 January 2012.

You can view the registration details and the programme here.

Special General Meeting - proposed new rules for RNZCGP

All members are invited to a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) to consider and vote on the College's proposed new rules for the College (held in conjunction with the Quality Symposium).

When: Friday 10 February 2012
Time: 12:45pm - 1:30pm
Where: Angus Room, Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, 55 Cable Street, Wellington

More information and to read the proposed RNZCGP rules click here.

Integration

NZ Doctor - 14 December 2011 - Harry Pert (College President)

There is growing interest in the IHI’s Triple Aim framework for quality improvement. That is: improved patient experience, better population health outcomes and more cost-effective care delivery.

This approach caught the imagination of the participants on the recent study tour of North America, described by Fiona Thomson in her recent column in NZ Doctor. They returned enthusiastic about the possibilities, but also aware of the work ahead.

In some areas we have made excellent progress, and have built infrastructure that can provide rapid gains. In others, we need to do more work, particularly perhaps in understanding and improving our patient’s experience of care. Read more.

CORNERSTONE® - accredited practices in November/December

Congratulations to the following practices who have received CORNERSTONE accreditation in November and December:

• Auckland Regional Womens Corrections Facility, Wiri, Cycle 1
• Cameron Medical Clinic, Tauranga, Cycle 2
• Dr J D Moore, Whanganui, Cycle 1
• Eastside Family Doctors, Auckland, Cycle 2
• Kowhai Surgery, Warkworth, Cycle 2
• Lincoln Medical, Lincoln, Cycle 1
• Lyttleton Health Centre, Lyttleton, Cycle 2
• Mornington Health Centre, Dunedin, Cycle 3
• Otago Corrections Department Prison Service, Milburn, Cycle 1
• Waitangi Family Practice, Te Puke, Cycle 1
• Whanganui Prison Health Centre, Whanganui, Cycle 1
• Tongariro Rangipo Prison Health Services, Turangi, Cycle 1
• Kaiapoi Kaye Buchan Medical Centre, Kaiapoi, Cycle 1

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 Sector News

Kidney Health NZ - web-based patient information resources

Kidney Health New Zealand, together with the Ministry of Health, has developed eight further web-based patient information resources. Read more.

MPS offers three-year subscription rate for GPs in training

As reported in the last edition of ePulse, Medical Protection Society (MPS) is underlining its longstanding support for GPs in training by offering all registrars membership at the GPEP1 subscription rate for three years.

MPS has a long history of supporting high-quality general practice in New Zealand and prides itself in the advisory and educational service provided to GPs at all stages in their careers. Further demonstrating this commitment, MPS members in GPEP are invited to participate in two educational events each year at no additional cost and can access high quality online and printed educational tools.

If you are a GP registrar and would like to take advantage of this offer please contact the MPS membership team on 0800 225 5677 or email membership@mps.org.nz.

Further details can be found here.

Maternity referral guidelines include referral to primary care

The MOH have requested that the College assist them in publicising recent changes to the Maternity Referral Guidelines. These guidelines are now relevant to all GPs as under the revised guidelines midwives can refer women to GPs for certain conditions such as mild asthma - previously referrals could only be to secondary care. GPs need information about what is expected of them when they receive these referrals. The College is pleased to see acknowledgment of the contribution that primary care can make to women’s health during pregnancy. We are concerned however, that while women have a fully publically funded option to access secondary care this is not the case in primary care. The need to partially self fund will be a barrier to access care for some women and the College would like to continue to work with the MOH to overcome this.

The information provided by the MOH is available here.

In addition this week the MOH has released an e-update on the Maternity Quality Initiative. This is available here.

Replacement of 'Diabetes Get Checked'

Thank you to the 103 GPs and six practice nurses and administrators who responded to the ePulse survey on the replacement of 'Diabetes Get Checked' and provided some useful suggestions for DHBs, both regarding diabetes initiatives and communication with GPs.

We are now providing DHBs with suggestions and feedback from the respondents in their areas. There were many examples of innovative practice involving general practice teams, in particular practice nurses. 71% of respondents suggested that more resourcing was needed in their area for dietary advice; 61% for foot care, 75% for general lifestyle advice and 16% for eye care and 33 respondents made further suggestions. Canterbury DHB rated the best for ease of communication.

We will provide further information on the survey results in ePulse in the New Year. We intend to do a further survey in 2012 to gauge how communication with DHBs is progressing.

Independent review of Patient Management Systems (PMS) - report

As this edition of ePulse is emailed out to members, the final touches are being put on the report of PMS’ This is the first time in NZ that PMS products have been evaluated together by an independent panel of clinicians and technologists for a public report that compares and contrasts the systems. The report will be published this week on the Patients First website providing an assessment of the four PMS vendor products across a key set of five areas.

A link you to the actual report will be the first ePulse of 2012. Read more

Committee Vacancies

Ethics Committees

The Ministry of Health has put out a general call for applications and nominations for positions on two Ministerial committees:

• The Ethics Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ECART)

• The Health and Disability Ethics Committee (HDECs)

Applications and nominations are due by Wednesday 21 December 2011. Further information and details on how to apply or make a nomination are available here.

Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee (PMMRC)

The Health Quality and Safety Commission Board is seeking new members for the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Further information here.

Consultations - have your say!

The following consultations mentioned in ePulse in previous weeks are still open:

• MCNZ Proposed Framework for the Regulations of Special Interests - Feedback by 23 December 2011 

• Feedback on draft Records Retention and Disposal Schedule - Feedback by Friday 6 January 2012
  

• MSD Green Paper for Vulnerable Children

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 Classified Advertising

Southern Region Vacancies

• Christchurch - Associate GP

Central Region Vacancies

• Long-term locum - Mt Maunganui

• Practice for Sale - Mt Maunganui

• Petone - Part-time permanent GP

• Te Aro Health Centre, Wellington - GP

Northern Region Vacancies

• West Auckland - Permanent part-time GP

• St Heliers Health Centre - Female GP

• Paihia - GP

• Bay of Islands - Medical Officer

• Counties Manukau - GP Liaison

To submit a new classified advertisement visit the Classified Advertising page on our website and complete the online form. Your ad will be automatically submitted to the College and available on our website within 48 hours.

Vacancies feature in ePulse for two weeks and on the website for six weeks.

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 Events (Conferences, CME)

New Events

• Orthopaedics at Wakefield Seminar - 15 February 2012 - Wakefield Hospital
  
• Sleep disruption associated with dementia - 28 February 2012 - University of Otago, Wellington
  
• Bowel and Colorectal Cancer Seminar - 14 March 2012 - University of Otago, Wellington

January 2012

• NZ Bioethics Conference: 'No Country for Old Men (and Women)' - 27-29 January 2012 - Dunedin

February 2012

• The 16th Public Health Summer School - 7-24 February 2012 - University of Otago, Wellington
  
  
• RNZCGP Quality Symposium: 'Quality and Information - practical aspects of integration' - 10-11 February 2012 - Wellington
  
  
• IMG Supervisor Training Workshops - 23 February 2012 - Auckland
  
• Teaching Fish about Water: A weekend of mindfulness for clinicians - 24-26 February 2012 - Auckland - 14 CME endorsed credits
  
• Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention Regional Conference - 29 February 2012 - Manawatu/Whanganui

March 2012

• IMG Supervisor Training Workshops - 8 March 2012 - Christchurch
  
• 2012 NZ Rural General Practice Network Conference: 'The Changing Face of Rural Health' - 8-11 March 2012 - Queenstown
  
  
• IMG Supervisor Training Workshops - 22 March 2012 - Wellington
  
  
• 2012 Goodfellow Symposium - 23-25 March 2012 - Auckland

May 2012

• 19th Wonca Asia Pacific Regional Conference - 24-27 May 2012 - Jeju, Korea

June 2012

• New Zealand Healthcare Congress 2012 - 26-27 June 2012 - Auckland

July 2012

• The Fourth Biennial Education Convention 2012 - 13-14 July 2012 - James Cook Hotel, Wellington

September 2012

• 2012 Conference for General Practice - 13-16 September 2012 - Rotorua

• New Zealand College of Appearance Medicine 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting

• Introductory course in diving medicine for GPs - September 2012 (exact dates TBC - Navy Hyperbaric Unit, Devonport, Auckland

• 40th Anniversary of University of Otago, Christchurch - 5-7 September 2012

Ongoing

• Evidence-based Natural Health Course - Complementary Therapies Masterclass - Various dates and locations around New Zealand February to April 2012
  
  

• 2012 NZRC Certificate of Resuscitation and Emergency Care (CORE) Level 6 and Level 7 courses - Hamilton / Whangarei / Auckland / Wellington / Christchurch

• 2012 Principles of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (PACLS) Level 5 courses - Auckland / Wellington / Christchurch / Hamilton / Tauranga / Whangarei

• Principles of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Level 5 courses - Various dates and locations around the country

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