# 502
Tuesday 22 December 2009
The NZMA wishes all its members a very happy Christmas and holiday season. Vital Signs will resume in late January.
IN THIS ISSUE
• Message from NZMA Chair
• Primary Care Financial Savings
• NZMA in 2010
• NZMA Office Hours
• NZMA Membership
• Medspeak
• NZMA Activities
NEWS
Message from NZMA Chair Dr Peter Foley
“Very warm best wishes for a safe and happy Christmas with your family. I would like to thank all NZMA members for their support throughout 2009. I look forward to continuing to work on your behalf in the new year.”
Primary Care Financial Savings
The NZMA is keeping a close watch on proposals to make financial savings within primary care says NZMA CEO Cameron McIver. “Current suggestions are focussed on PHOs but there is potential for the impact to flow through to practices and patients.”
NZMA in 2010
“The NZMA will have a busy year ahead in 2010,” says NZMA Chair Dr Peter Foley, “as we work with the changing structures in a leaner and more centralised health system, and ensure there is ongoing action to remedy our long standing concerns about our New Zealand health workforce.”
NZMA Office Hours
The NZMA’s National Office will close at midday Thursday 24 December and re-open on Monday 11 January 2010.
NZMA Membership
The perfect gift for your profession this year could be to encourage a colleague to join you in NZMA membership, especially our hospital colleagues who may have unused professional development funds!
Medspeak
The latest issue of Medspeak should have arrived in your letterbox this week. Highlights include NZMA Chair Dr Peter Foley’s editorial on the Auckland laboratory situation, NZMA’s summer studentship project, our CEO Cameron McIver’s column which highlights key NZMA work and achievements for the year and an article on NZMA member Dr John Valentine who has published a book on his early life.
NZMA ACTIVITIES
• NZMA Chair Dr Peter Foley, DITC Chair Dr Brandon Adams and NZMA CEO Cameron McIver had an extended meeting with Health Workforce Group Chair Professor Des Gorman on Monday. Topics discussed included:
- The involvement of the NZMA, and in particular its Doctors-in-Training Council, with workforce projects
- The need for cultural change within DHBs
- Future development of the apprenticeship model of training and
- Issues facing general practitioner training
EVENTS
New Zealand Bioethics Conference ‘Ethics After Harm’
29-31 January 2010, Salmond College, Dunedin
Endorsed by RNZCCGP for up to 15 hours (=15 credits) CME for General Practice
Education programme Stage 2 (formerly AVE) and Maintenance of Professional
Standards (MOPS)
For more information:
www.otago.ac.nz/nzbioethicsconference
RNZCGP Annual Quality Symposium 2010
Date: 12-13 February 2010 – Registration desk opens at 8.15am – first session begins at 9.00am.
Venue: Oceania Room, Te Papa, Wellington
To request a registration form please contact liz.walters@rnzcgp.org.nz
Don’t miss out – Book now
Topic – The Voyage to Quality – The Continuing Journey
Theme: Processes for improving clinical outcomes for patients in primary care
Day 1: Frontline primary care clinicians taking the lead to progress quality, safety and clinical improvement for the benefit of patients
Themes:
1. Primary Care leadership in Quality
2. How well is primary care doing in New Zealand? – The evidence for where we are now
3. Quality exploration and frameworks: New Zealand, Australia & the UK
4. Primary Care Quality & Information Leadership to improve structures for clinical effectiveness through integrated care
5. Quality & Information to support clinical effectiveness in New Zealand (update on qi4gp)
6. Children are the future – The role of primary care in improving child health
Day 2: Primary care adapting to meet new challenges in health – working across primary care teams
Themes:
1. New approaches
2. Teamwork: International and local examples of integration
3. Lessons from CORNERSTONE – the Cornerstone assessors Integrated Primary Care Solutions (Workshop)
4. Patient safety improvements – a primary care approach linking to the New Zealand Incident Management System
5. Preparing people and practices for an emergency (workshop)
International speakers
Nick Goodwin – Kings Fund, UK inquiry into the quality of general practice, Chair of the International Network for Integrated Care
Candace Imison – Kings Fund, Integrated family Health Centers, UK inquiry into the quality of general practice
Chris Mitchell – President Royal Australian College of GPs.
HDC Medical-Legal Seminar
The Health and Disability Commissioner’s Office invites you to a seminar Reflections on a Decade of Change – 24 March 2010 in Wellington – to hear from some of New Zealand’s medico-legal experts reflecting on health law in the last decade. This will also be an opportunity to farewell the current Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Paterson. Speakers will include Otago University Professor Peter Skegg, Auckland University Associate Professor Joanna Manning, Auckland University Professor Alan Merry, Counties Manukau Quality Director Dr Mary Seddon, Chapman Tripp partner Adam Ross and Commissioner Ron Paterson. Further details will be provided in the new year.
Symposium on Physical Activity and Obesity
An International Research Symposium on physical activity, health and obesity will be taking place at the School of Physical Education, University of Otago 1-3 February 2010. The Symposium is entitled “The Big Fat Truth: What are we ‘weighting’ for? It’s Time to Move!” The Symposiyum aims to stimulate discussion amongst health professionals, researchers, educator and the general public about local and global issues in relation to physical activity and obesity. Six scholars from the academic disciplines of epidemiology, physiology, medicine, psychology, law and sociology will be speaking at the Symposium.
For more information on the Symposium, including bios of the key note presenters, their presentations and workshops and registration information then please visit www.otago.ac.nz/thebigfattruth2010
Rural Network Conference 2010
The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network Conference will be held in Christchurch next year at the city’s Convention Centre 11-14 March. It’s worth noting that the weekend of the conference coincides with the Ellerslie Flower Show in the garden city on March 10-14. People wanting to register interest to present abstracts or wanting more information about abstracts should email Helen Shrewsbury at Conference Innovators: helen@conference.co.nz Anyone interested in sponsoring the conference or hosting an exhibition stand should contact the Network’s communications manager Rob Olsen either by phone 04 495 5887 or by email: rob@rgpn.org.nz
MEMBER BENEFIT
NZMA Wine Club
The NZMA wine club offers a wide range of both New Zealand and imported wines at very competitive prices delivered direct to your door. Check it out at www.primovino.co.nz/nzma/ We are keen to feature wines that NZMA members are in some way involved in. If you have any wines you would like to offer through the NZMA Wine Club, please contact Anna Phipps at anna@nzma.org.nz or phone 0800 656 161.
AMEX New and Preferential Merchant Rate for NZMA Members
In recognition of the valued relationship between American Express® and the NZMA, American Express is pleased to extend a new and preferential Merchant rate of 1.99% to all NZMA Members who hold a personal or business American Express Card. With no ongoing monthly fees, no monthly charges and no monthly minimums to be met, American Express will also link directly to your existing terminal.
To find out more please contact Megan Drummond at American Express
Mobile: 021 271 5077, office: 09 583 8985 or email: megan.t.drummond@aexp.com.
MEMBER ADVISORY
Flexible Working Arrangements
The Employment Relations Act has been amended from July 1 2008 with the introduction of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007. The purpose of the amendment is to encourage workplace flexibility. It provides employees with an opportunity to apply for flexible working arrangements, and employers are obligated to actively consider and respond to an employees’ request. More information on the amendment act can be found at http://www.dol.govt.nz/worklife/flexible/act.asp
Vital Signs is a weekly email bulletin with news and information about the NZMA. It aims to keep members in touch with the NZMA’s work, and complement the NZMA newsletter Medspeak and website. If you do not wish to receive Vital Signs, please reply with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.
Daphne Atkinson
Communications Manager, New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)
PO Box 156, Wellington, Tel: (04) 472 4741, Fax: (04) 471 0838
Email: daphne@nzma.org.nz
Visit our website: www.nzma.org.nz
