Media release from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation's (NZNO) Primary Health Care Nurses conference - "Changing Face, Revolutionising the face of primary health care" runs this weekend in Auckland.

NZNO Professional Nursing Advisor, Angela Clark explains why the conference is so significant:

"The NZNO has risen to the Ministry of Health's challenge to establish a single organisation for primary health care nurses. Nurses working in public health, district nursing, general practice, prison services, iwi provider services, school services, sexual health and family planning will now be members of a new professional college."

"This conference celebrates our new status. It is an exciting time, as the inaugural annual general meeting will decide on the title of the College, with The NZ College of Primary Health Care Nurses NZNO the frontrunner," says Angela Clark.

The conference will be opened by Dr Jackie Blue and keynote speakers include Carol Huston from the School of Nursing at California State University, Debbie Gell the Clinical Director for the Department of Corrections and Clinical Nurse Specialist District Nurse, Denise White.

"By the end of the conference I am confident we will have mapped a way forward for advocating models of primary health services that align with community needs, including nurses' involvement in effective clinical governance both within their practice and at key decision making points on Primary Health Organisation (PHO) governance boards."

"We look forward to working with the government and national health boards to implement solutions that broaden and strengthen the primary health care nursing workforce. As the government intends to deliver better, sooner, more convenient health care services within the community then it must step up to ensure there is a workforce of sufficient numbers and skills to deliver on that promise," Angela Clark said.