Professional news
See below for the QNU’s professional news:
New Framework Award secures conditions of employment
Queensland Health employees can now have peace of mind that their conditions of employment will not be lost during and after the transition to Local Health and Hospital Networks (LHHNs).
Nurses, midwives and the BPF priority list
The QNU has developed a Workload Management Low Priority Activities Notice to help nurses and midwives manage their workloads.
National health reform heads into home stretch
The transition to Local Health and Hospitals Networks (LHHNs) has entered its final six months.
Informed decision-making in healthcare – new policy and guidelines
Late in 2011, the Queensland Health Centre for Healthcare Improvement and the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service released the Guide to Informed Decision-making in Healthcare.
Nurses at risk when driving ambulances
Some QNU members working in rural and remote areas are being expected to volunteer as ambulance personnel when ambulance officers are unavailable.
Enrolled nurses and medication administration
Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, enrolled nurses who have not completed certain courses approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) will have a notation on their register reading "does not hold Board-approved qualification in administration of medicines".
Falling standards of education
In 2009, I presented a paper at the QNU Annual Conference about the parlous state of nursing in the UK, with a warning to Australian nurses and midwives that if we blindly followed the UK, nursing and midwifery in Australia as professions would be seriously compromised.
National health reform and the Queensland Health workforce
National health reform is one step closer after the federal government released the National Health Reform Agreement between the Commonwealth and all states and territories, and the Queensland Government tabled new health legislation in state parliament.
Best practice in transcribing medication orders
This article considers the issue of nurses and midwives transcribing medication orders and explains the reasons why it is an unsafe and unprofessional practice.
Maintaining competence in clinical practice: Using a ward-based matrix to organise learning activities
Education and training opportunities are essential in achieving continued clinical development for nurses and midwives in all health care settings. In this article Amanda Henderson, Karyn Paterson and Michelle Materne propose a coordinated approach to clinical development through a ward-based learning matrix which optimises available resources.
National health reform edging closer
Work continues to ready Queensland for the roll out of national health reforms. And while much of it remains a moving feast, a number of key structural changes underpinning the reform process look to be bedded down.
CPD – Reflecting on the value of learning activities
An important part of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Registration Standard for nurses and midwives is the requirement to reflect on the value of learning activities and to incorporate that reflection into the documentation of those activities.
What is health reform?
Just when we thought a clear direction for the reform of our health system had been set, it has taken yet another turn off its original course. In this article the QNU examines the current state play for health reform.
The BPF works – when it is used appropriately
QNU member and Nursing Director Carmel Cochrane, has been successful in using the public sector’s mandatory tool, the Business Planning Framework (BPF), to manage the workloads of nurses and midwives in her workplace. She says the workload tool won’t work without nurses and midwives, from on the floor to management, taking ownership over its development and implementation.
Problems in the mix
The tragic sequence of errors in the days and hours leading up to Vanessa Anderson’s death has devastated lives and livelihoods. Yet the culprit, poor skills mix, is endemic in hospitals and health facilities across Australia.
Dual registration for students
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has indicated that employed ENs who have successfully completed their Bachelor of Nursing or Midwifery studies can apply for a licence as an EN as well as an RN.
New health and hospital networks established
The defining entities of national health reform have been established, with the boundaries for 46 Local Health and Hospital Networks (LHHNs) and a dedicated Children’s Health Network announced in January.
What are your responsibilities to your patients?
Nurses and midwives across a diverse range of practice settings and sectors consistently report concerns about constraints on their capacity to provide safe and quality care to optimise patient health outcomes.
English language registration standard under review
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has recently released for consultation a revised English Language Skills Registration Standard for the nursing and midwifery professions.
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