September 2009
September has seen a change in role for several people. Anna Kempthorne has been seconded to Te Whare o Matairangi for six months. During this time Jan Lucas will be acting team leader at Tane Mahuta and Kathy Ellis the acting CNS. Paul Tomlinson has decided to try his hand with the ID Community team and Kirsten Ellingham has taken over as team leader for Haumietiketike and the cottages, also on a six month secondment. It is great to have staff gaining experience in different areas of the service and we wish them well.
Kitty Marshall and her team at NgÄ WÄhi AkÅnga are very busy with events and training. There is another orientation scheduled for 12 October 2009 and all new staff should book themselves to attend as it is a core competency and further training cannot be undertaken until it is completed. Staff who attended the Smartboard training can see multiple uses for the technology, especially as the software is available to people that have had the training and who also have access to a PC. As with everything, to get the best out of training you have to practise what you learn and having the software on your PC makes this possible and not reliant on actually using the Smartboard.
Claire Gormly and Menetta Te Aonui were written up in the Dominion Post with reference to their youth justice role in the courts - you can read the whole article by following the link - |  |
Welcome to -
Shereen Naidu, registered nurse ID services, Dara Bigwood, registered nurse Rangipapa, Janice Flood, clinical psychologist, Youth Forensic Team and Diane Wolters, occupational therapist, Rangipapa.
Notes of Interest from Buddle Findlay
HEALTH INFORMATION/PRIVACY
Collection of medical notes by insurers: The Privacy Commissioner’s inquiry into insurers’ collection of medical information concluded that insurers who collect full medical notes are at risk of breaching the Health Information Privacy Code. The Commissioner recommended that insurers should usually ask for answers to particular questions, rather than collecting full medical notes, as not all the information contained in medical notes is necessarily relevant to an insurance decision. The fact that a client has authorised collection does not entitle the insurer to collect irrelevant information, and “doctors who are in doubt about the level of client consent should check with that client”. The report is available at:
www.privacy.org.nz/collection-of-medical-notes-by-insurers-inquiry-by-the-privacy-commissioner/
JUDGEMENTS
Behaviour can discredit a profession even after ceasing to practise: A psychologist, who was no longer practising, challenged a Professional Conduct Committee’s ability to lay disciplinary charges alleging, among other things, that he had disclosed a former patient’s confidential information. He was unsuccessful in the High Court, which held that the PCC could lay charges because he was registered as a psychologist at the relevant time, and registered practitioners have a continuing obligation of confidentiality. The Court of Appeal found no basis to intervene, and noted that “entitlement to remain on the register must depend on refraining from conduct that would bring the profession into disrepute”. G v Professional Conduct Committee of the Psychologists Board [2009] NZCA 274
DISCIPLINARY MATTERS
Cancellation of registration following conviction for falsified time sheets: A nurse who was convicted for submitting false timesheets (having receiving over $15,000 for those fictitious entries) when employed by a DHB on a casual basis had her registration cancelled by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. The Tribunal found that the “illegal, immoral, unethical and dishonest conduct demonstrated by Ms Hawes reflected adversely on her practice”. The Tribunal declined an application for name suppression, noting that no suppression orders were made when the matter was before the District Court. Nurse Hawes (HPDT, Wellington, October 2008, 185/Nur08/94P).
Regards
Nigel Fairley, Operations Director