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ProCare is pleased to support the ACC GPMRI Service expanding to include nurse practitioners. From today, 1 December 2023, nurse practitioners working in primary care will be able to refer eligible ACC patients or clients for MRI scans for knee, back and neck injuries, removing the need for patients to visit a specialist before accessing an MRI.
Bindi Norwell, ProCare Group CEO says: “This is something ProCare has been advocating for over the past three years, so we are thrilled to see this is enabled for our nurse practitioners.
“This will help further reduce wait times for patients to access diagnostics, and will contribute to less unnecessary surgery, save money and ultimately, the rehabilitation process can begin faster,” concludes Norwell.
Dr Allan Moffit, ProCare’s Clinical Director says, “We have seen fantastic results from this programme so far with GPs, so expanding to include nurse practitioners is a logical step forward.
“Streamlining MRI services but maintaining tight quality control has proven to benefit patients. We’ve seen wait times almost halve as a result of the programme speeding people’s recovery,” concludes Moffitt.
Nurse Practitioners will need to be trained before using the service. The sessions include learning about the programme and patient eligibility, and how to perform musculoskeletal assessments. Additionally, they will learn the mechanism for making a referral to ACC MRI providers, providing clinical governance and support, as well as collection of patient outcomes.
The GPMRI programme follows a successful pilot with ProCare and Mercy Radiology which begun in Auckland in 2017. The GPMRI service was successfully trialed between 2018 and 2020, cutting the wait time from referral to MRI from an average of 23 days to 12.4 days.
Notes:
If you are interested in completing the training, please contact mrienquiries@procare.co.nz for upcoming training dates.
About ProCare
ProCare is a leading healthcare provider that aims to deliver the most progressive, pro-active and equitable health and wellbeing services in Aotearoa. We do this through our clinical support services, mental health and wellness services, virtual/tele health, mobile health, smoking cessation and by taking a population health and equity approach to our mahi. As New Zealand’s largest Primary Health Organisation, we represent a network of general practice teams and healthcare professionals who provide care to more than 830,000 people across Auckland and Northland. These practices serve the largest Pacific and South Asian populations enrolled in general practice and the largest Māori population in Tāmaki Makaurau. For more information go to www.procare.co.nz
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) urges the new coalition Government to abandon its plans to repeal the amendments and regulations of the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990.
The regulations in the Act, including de-nicotisation of cigarettes, a reduction in retailers and banning cigarettes for the next generation, were put in place to protect Aotearoa New Zealanders from chronic illness caused by tobacco and smoking.
As stated in its submission to Parliament’s Health Committee, the College supports full implementation of these laws, with Māori leadership.
RACP Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ) President Dr Stephen Inns says “the decision to repeal this legislation is extremely disappointing and a backwards step.”
“We call on the Government to realise the value of population-level policies and reconsider plans to repeal this world-leading and transformative legislation.
“These laws would have created a smokefree generation protected from tobacco-caused cancers and other serious illnesses.
“Repealing them will worsen the health of many in our community and could even cost lives.
“These laws also offered potentially profound health benefits for people of all ages and future generations, especially Māori who continue to face health inequities.
“Evidence supports the benefits of smokefree laws, and the Coalition’s plan to repeal them is not based on the health and wellbeing of our people.
“It is profoundly disappointing that the progress made to improve lives and create healthy, smokefree generations will be swiftly undone.
“While we are looking to reverse our own flagship policy, countries like the UK and Canada are moving ahead with plans to implement smokefree policies. Repealing our laws positions Aotearoa New Zealand as a lost opportunity to lead the world in this reform,” says Dr Inns.
About the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP):
The RACP trains, educates and advocates on behalf of over 20,000 physicians and 9,000 trainee physicians, across Australia and New Zealand. The College represents a broad range of medical specialties including general medicine, paediatrics and child health, cardiology, respiratory medicine, infectious diseases, neurology, oncology, public health medicine, occupational and environmental medicine, palliative medicine, sexual health medicine, rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine, and addiction medicine. Beyond the drive for medical excellence, the RACP is committed to developing health and social policies which bring vital improvements to the wellbeing of patient. The College offers 61 training pathways. These lead to the award of one of seven qualifications that align with 45 specialist titles recognised by the Medical Board of Australia or allow for registration in nine vocational scopes with the Medical Council of New Zealand.
| Source: KOF Economic Institute
In November, the KOF Economic Barometer rises moderately and now stands at 96.7 points. It is thus continuing to approach its long-term average. Since the mid of 2023, it has thus remained at a stable, albeit below-average level. Therefore, the outlook for the Swiss economy remains moderate. The KOF Economic Barometer stands at 96.7 points in November, 1.6 points higher than in October (revised from 95.8 to 95.1 points). The increase is primarily attributable to indicator bundles of the manufacturing sector and to indicators capturing the other services sector. Indicators for the hospitality industry and the finance and insurance sector are sending out slightly negative signals. In the goods producing sector (manufacturing and construction), indicators relating to the situation for intermediate goods developed positively in November, followed by the assessment of employment prospects and the competitive situation. Indicator bundles covering production capacities and the business situation remain at an almost constant level. Within the manufacturing sector, indicators for the textile industry, the metal industry and the mechanical engineering industry are mainly responsible for its positive development. By contrast, indicators for the paper and printing industry and the wood, glass, stone and soil sector are sending a negative signal. |
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) urges the new coalition Government to abandon its plans to repeal the amendments and regulations of the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990.
The regulations in the Act, including de-nicotisation of cigarettes, a reduction in retailers and banning cigarettes for the next generation, were put in place to protect Aotearoa New Zealanders from chronic illness caused by tobacco and smoking.
As stated in its submission to Parliament’s Health Committee, the College supports full implementation of these laws, with Māori leadership.
RACP Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ) President Dr Stephen Inns says “the decision to repeal this legislation is extremely disappointing and a backwards step”.
“We call on the Government to realise the value of population-level policies and reconsider plans to repeal this world-leading and transformative legislation.
“These laws would have created a smokefree generation protected from tobacco-caused cancers and other serious illnesses.
“Repealing them will worsen the health of many in our community and could even cost lives.
“These laws also offered potentially profound health benefits for people of all ages and future generations, especially Māori who continue to face health inequities.
“Evidence supports the benefits of smokefree laws, and the Coalition’s plan to repeal them is not based on the health and wellbeing of our people.
“It is profoundly disappointing that the progress made to improve lives and create healthy, smokefree generations will be swiftly undone.
“While we are looking to reverse our own flagship policy, countries like the UK and Canada are moving ahead with plans to implement smokefree policies. Repealing our laws positions Aotearoa New Zealand as a lost opportunity to lead the world in this reform,” says Dr Inns.
About the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP):
The RACP trains, educates and advocates on behalf of over 20,000 physicians and 9,000 trainee physicians, across Australia and New Zealand. The College represents a broad range of medical specialties including general medicine, paediatrics and child health, cardiology, respiratory medicine, infectious diseases, neurology, oncology, public health medicine, occupational and environmental medicine, palliative medicine, sexual health medicine, rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine, and addiction medicine. Beyond the drive for medical excellence, the RACP is committed to developing health and social policies which bring vital improvements to the wellbeing of patient. The College offers 61 training pathways. These lead to the award of one of seven qualifications that align with 45 specialist titles recognised by the Medical Board of Australia or allow for registration in nine vocational scopes with the Medical Council of New Zealand.
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has today welcomed the release of the Rebuilding Employment Services Report, which exposes the undeniable failure of the privatised employment services system.
The report backs the CPSU’s calls for the public service to be put back at the heart of the employment services system, recommending that the government develop and publish a plan to transition across to a Commonwealth Employment Services system.
The union has been campaigning to end the privatisation of employment services, rebuild a public sector employment agency and reform the punitive mutual obligations system.
The recommendations include:
The CPSU calls on the government to ensure that any changes are accompanied by appropriate staffing and resourcing of the APS, including Services Australia, who would be taking on additional responsibilities for an already understaffed and stretched agency.
Quotes attributable to Melissa Donnelly, CPSU National Secretary:
“This report is an important milestone in our union’s ongoing campaign to end the privatisation of employment services and build a modern day CES.
“This report has confirmed what we already knew. Privatisation has failed, and the Commonwealth public sector must be put back at the heart of employment services.
“It is not fit-for-purpose, and is failing employers, jobseekers and tax payers.
“Disappointingly the report falls short in failing to recommend the abolition of mutual obligations, which is the ineffective and punitive compliance framework that underpins the current model. The recommended reforms in the report are positive, but a true departure from the current punitive system will require further significant work from the government.
“From the outset, the CPSU has argued that the current system is not one we can tinker with or tweak. It is a broken system that we need to replace.
“That is why the CPSU is campaigning to renationalise employment services through the creation of a modern, fit for purpose CES.
“This would rebuild capacity and capability within the APS, it would allow the Commonwealth to play a direct role in shaping labour market changes and responding to immediate and future policy challenges and economic priorities, and it would rewrite the relationship between government and job seekers, which is hugely overdue.
– Fares available on selected long-haul flights from November 30, 2023
– Lufthansa Group continues to expand its offering for more sustainable travel with new offers from APAC
– Growing demand for Green Fares with 500,000+ guests having already booked this fare
The Lufthansa Group is extending its Green Fares to long-haul flights and a first step, the fare will initially be tested on twelve selected routes for flights from November 30, including from Bangkok to Vienna as well as Singapore and Hong Kong to London. The selection of routes includes connections between the Lufthansa Group hubs and various destinations around the world. The Lufthansa Group also offers Green Fares for routes with connecting flights. This broad selection addresses different target groups. From the Lufthansa Group hubs, for example, Frankfurt – Bengaluru, Brussels – Kinshasa, or Zurich – Los Angeles are offered and anyone booking flights with the Lufthansa Group airlines, for example from London to Hong Kong or Paris to Bangkok via the airlines’ hubs, will also automatically be shown the Green Fares tariff.
Simple, easy-to-book and individual offers for more sustainable flying
“People want to fly and be mobile, they want to explore the world, visit fri
30 NOVEMBER, 2023 – Action for Palestine (A4P), Student Justice for Palestine (SJP)- University of Auckland, Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA), Solidarity Action Network Aotearoa (SANA) and Working Students Aotearoa (WSA) are calling on all those who are demanding an immediate ceasefire and an end to the genocide being committed in Gaza to join us in a protest today, November 30th, 2023, at 5 pm, at the Ports of Auckland, Solent Street entrance.
This protest is a nonviolent direct action, in the tradition of the civil rights movement in countries like India when it liberated itself from British colonisation. This protest is aligned with the global call to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) the Apartheid State of Israel, by targeting all businesses that bolster the Israeli economy and the Israeli Occupation Forces. Our protest today is to raise awareness of the ZIM Integrated Shipping Services that docks our ports throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In the last year, ZIM recorded a revenue of over $12 billion USD.
We are calling on our government to cut all diplomatic, cultural, sporting and economic ties with the Apartheid State of Israel. Israeli companies must not be permitted to make profit on our shores while the Israeli State continues to commit its merciless genocide against the Palestinian people, and continues to deny them their inalienable right to self-determination. As the BDS campaign gains momentum worldwide, we here in Aotearoa New Zealand must play our part in ensuring that we disrupt Israel’s economic, cultural and sporting activities because we know how effective this strategy was for ending South Africa’s apartheid.
We are calling on the Port of Auckland and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) to stand in solidarity with us and refuse to host and offload the ZIM ships. Your solidarity is essential if we are to stop this genocide. The solidarity of workers in Australia alongside protestors, successfully disrupted the offloading of the ZIM ship there, resulting in delaying its arrival here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our call is for everyone to stand in solidarity to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the escalating violence in the West Bank. None of us are free, until Palestine is free.
Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members have today voted to endorse the proposed APS wide pay and conditions package.
After rejecting the government’s revised offer of 11.2% over three years, sharp industrial escalation from the union pushed the government to come back to the table offering an additional payment to employees that is the equivalent of 0.92% of an employee’s salary.
More than 16,000 CPSU members have voted in the union’s membership poll on the APS wide package, with 67.5% supporting it.
Service-wide bargaining, which the CPSU fought to secure for almost two decades, has delivered significant progress on workers’ pay and conditions in one fell swoop, including:
Genuinely negotiated pay outcomes, instead of service wide caps on pay and the previous government’s ban on conditions improvements restrictions.
A mechanism that moves Agency pay rates towards pay equity and a significant rise in salaries for those at the bottom.
Strong and consistent flexible work and working from home rights that apply right across the APS.
Job security protections, including 25% casual loading and measures to ensure ongoing employment is the usual form of employment.
Conditions protected, with more generous entitlements maintained where they already exceed newly negotiated common conditions, and a “green light” from the APSC for agencies to return conditions from policy to the enterprise agreement.
Strong, clear, and enforceable consultation rights, and for the first time, an APS consultative committee so that CPSU members have a say on the big issues affecting the APS.
Significant improvements to paid parental leave, including 18 weeks’ paid leave for the primary carer, and over the life of the agreement, transitioning to 18 weeks’ paid leave for the secondary carer.
Clear representation rights, delegates’ rights, Respect@Work protections, and a dispute procedure that will help ensure enterprise agreements are followed in practice, with the help of the Fair Work Commission where necessary.
Support for First Nations employees, including ceremonial leave, NAIDOC leave, and a definition of family that includes kinship.
Uncapped, paid Family and Domestic Violence leave, 3 days’ paid cultural leave, emergency services leave, and disaster support.
Measures to support integrity in the APS, to ensure Robodebt never happens again.
Workload reviews, and EL TOIL established across the APS for the first time.
These common terms will now be included in all APS agency Enterprise Agreements along with any agency specific matters negotiated before being put to staff ballots at the agency level.
Quotes attributable to Melissa Donnelly, CPSU National Secretary:
“The endorsed APS wide package is one that CPSU members can and should be proud of.
“In just one round of service-wide bargaining we have secured industry leading conditions, an 11.2% pay rise with back pay, a considerable lump sum payment at sign on, no cuts to existing conditions, and no delays.
“Our members entered this process prepared to fight for improvements to their pay and conditions, and that is what they have done.
“While there have been mixed views on pay throughout the process, we have shifted government’s position twice without delaying bargaining outcomes or sacrificing conditions.
“I’d like to acknowledge those CPSU members who took industrial action throughout the course of this bargain. From overtime and work bans, through to 1 hour, 2 hour and full day strikes – every action played its part in creating an APS wide package that can now go on to improve the working lives of APS employees.
“Service wide bargaining presented CPSU members with a historic opportunity to work together across the APS to secure new conditions, achieve greater commonality and work towards equity of pay conditions across the APS.
“This has delivered improvements to a wide range of members’ pay and conditions that would never have been achieved had we still been bargaining agency-by-agency.
“Of particular note, is the progress that has been made on pay equity. A fragmented and divided APS has seen pay equity blow out, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and those working in our cultural institutions suffering the most.
“CPSU members fought not only for their own pay rises, but for those of their colleagues in lower paid agencies. As a result, this package will see some of the lowest paid APS employees receiving up to 25% pay rises over the next 3 years.
“There is still much more to be done as we continue rebuilding the APS, but this package will form a vital part of the foundation of that work as we move forward.