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National | Novel Coronavirus / COVID-19

Wider medical powers granted to Waipareira nurses

Nurses at Waipareira Trust are stepping up to carry out the duties of senior clinicians and GPs following a relaxation to medical rules.

CEO John Tamihere says this will give Māori health workers the ability to care and look after their communities and Waipareira Trust is making the much-needed changes for its community.

"We need to flatten access and availability of primary health care services and one way to do that is to ensure that our nurses are honoured and respected with greater delegations."

New Zealand Nurse Organisation Kaiwhakahaere Keri Nuku (Ngāti Kahungunu) welcomes the change and she says this opportunity will give nurses the recognition they deserve.

"Finally nurses have been recognised for the mahi they can do and the contribution they can make to the health system."

Dr Kevinjit Sandhu, head of the Waipareira drive through Covid-19 Clinic, says this is an initiative that is a stepping stone to what health care will and can look like.

"It's a continuum of how we see the future of general practice and primary care hitting"

Nuku adds that while this is a great way to address the shortage of staff, she also hopes nurses will be well looked after.

"It is also about making sure that the nurses are well resourced when they go out and do those extra additional pieces of work and not just burdened with more work."

"Our nursing staff are the backbone of the whole countries primary health system and they're not honoured or paid enough," says Tamihere.

Waipareira Nurse Grace Crimmins says allowing nurses this opportunity will see a change on how health care is provided.

"This is a small step towards changing the way health care is provided."