Nursing in New Zealand

Expert Advisory Group on Primary Health Care Nursing

Background

In response to a call from the nursing sector, through the document 'Investing in Health 2007', the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) on Primary Health Care Nursing has reconvened with members selected for their expertise rather than as representatives of any organisation or professional association.

The reconvened group will meet for the first time in February 2008 and will define its Terms of Reference and objectives then.

'Investing in Health 2007' contained a number of other recommendations and the Expert Advisory Group is likely to consider these when drawing up their objectives.

View the Investing in Health 2007 report.

Members

The members of the Expert Advisory Group on Primary Health Care Nursing are listed below.

Christine Andrews - Senior Adviser, Ministry of Health
Nardia Brooke - Northern District Support Agency
Sheree East - Director of Nursing, Nurse Maude Association
Julia Ebbett - Clinical Facilitator, Hawkes Bay PHO
Maureen (Meg) Goodman - PHC Nurse Specialist
Karen Hoare - Dept of General Practice, Auckland University
Jane Lane - Quality Manager and Director of Nursing, Rotorua General Practice Group
Rose Lightfoot - CEO, Te Tai Tokerau PHO
Fiona Osten - Team Leader, Newtown Union Health Service
Helen Pocknall - Director of Nursing, Wairarapa DHB
Dolly Rewha - Nehi Kaiarahi / Māori Nurse Leader, Te Kupenga O Hoturoa PHO
Dr Nicolette Sheridan - Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing, Auckland University

Sheree East
Director of Nursing, Nurse Maude Association

Sheree is a registered nurse and midwife with a background in paediatric nursing and case management midwifery. She has a passion for the primary care sector and has held positions with the New Zealand Plunket Society, the Canterbury Region of the National Cervical Screening Programme and managed the Community Nursing service at Nurse Maude.

Since 2001 in her role as Director of Nursing at Nurse Maude (a community nursing, care coordination, and home support provider based in Canterbury), Sheree provides nursing advice to the CEO and Board. Her role encompasses Professional Development and Education and contributes to the Clinical Governance and service development of the organisation. Sheree's area of post graduate study has focused on Nursing Leadership and Appreciative Inquiry.

Sheree was instrumental in the setting up the Canterbury Primary Health Care Nurses Network and is an active member of a number of MoH and DHB reference groups and committees including the Canterbury DHB Clinical Board.

Julia Ebbett
Clinical Facilitator, Hawke's Bay PHO
RSCN (UK) RGON BN PGDip Health service management MCNA

Julia has worked in primary health care for 14 years in varying levels of clinical, management, business owner, quality, governance and teaching roles. In her current position as Hawkes Bay PHO Board Director elect (nursing) and Clinical Quality Advisory Committee she has gained insight into the primary health care nursing environment and enabled the establishment of trusting relationships both locally and nationally. She is also the Clinical Facilitator for the Hawkes Bay PHO responsible for the implementation of the CarePlus programme.

The need to provide governance support and a succession plan to the PHO has led to the establishment of a primary health care nurse advisory incorporated society in Hawke's Bay which is a recent initiative. Julia has also recently been appointed to co-facilitate the College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) primary health care nursing network.

Other interests include multidisciplinary teamwork within a general practice context. Related to this is her work as a RNZCGP Cornerstone assessor (in the last five years) which uses a multidisciplinary approach to continuous quality improvement (CQI).

For the last four years Julia has been a Member of the New Zealand Nursing Council professional conduct committee for primary health care nursing attending conduct hearings as they relate to primary health care nursing. As a member of the General Practice Nursing Alliance (GPNA) she is also in regular contact with national primary health care nursing leaders.

Julia is currently studying toward a Masters in Primary Health Care with Otago University, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her masters thesis is based on the patient perception of self management within a semi structured programme currently known as CarePlus.

Julia lives in a rural community, is married to David and has three children.

Maureen (Meg) Goodman
PHC Nurse Specialist

Meg is a Primary Health Care Nurse Specialist with a special interest in respiratory medicine. She is involved with education in primary care in relation to chronic care, and is also instrumental in placement of Nurse Entry To Practice (NETP) graduates within the primary setting. Meg graduated from MIT in 1992, gained a DAN at AUT and completed her BHSc and MN through the University of Auckland.

Karen Hoare
Dept of General Practice, Auckland University

Karen originally trained as an adult and children’s nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children, Gt. Ormond St, London and Watford General Hospital. She qualified as a health visitor in 1985 (specialist community public health nurse). She also trained as a nurse practitioner during a two year posting to the Medical Research Council’s Dunn Nutrition Unit in The Gambia, West Africa where her research career was also launched.
Karen's experience of living in The Gambia with some of the world’s poorest people inspired her to become involved in international development. She was a founder of the UK charity Development Direct and her PhD topic is centred on how children conceptualise the millennium development goals.

Karen emigrated to New Zealand in November 2003 and spent 2004 working as a public health nurse. She currently works in the Goodfellow Unit, within the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care and the School of Nursing at the University of Auckland. Her role is to encourage more primary health care nurses to become interested in postgraduate education, research, publishing and general professional development. During 2007 she developed three quizzes that contribute to one hour of continuing professional development for nurses for the Goodfellow Club website (www.goodfellowclub.org). She also runs a nurse-led children’s clinic on a Saturday morning.

Jane Lane
Clinical Manager and Director of Nursing, Rotorua Area Primary Health Services

Director of Nursing and Clinical Manager for the Rotorua Area Primary Health Services for last five years.
15 years Practice Nursing prior (Accredited with Expert).
Primary Sector Nurse Rep on Lakes DHB Clinical Council.
Executive member GPNA.
Past RGPG Board member for three years.
Past Chair of Rotorua Division of College of Practice Nurses NZNO.

Rose Lightfoot
CEO, Te Tai Tokerau PHO

Rose was involved in the early establishment of Te Tai Tokerau PHO in 2003 before being appointed as CEO. Te Tai Tokerau PHO is a rural PHO in the far North that has an active commitment to supporting primary health care nursing.

Rose has a keen interest in Public Health, preventive health care and cultural issues in health care provision. She is a registered nurse, with a Masters of Public Health, and varied experience including in:

clinical roles in primary and secondary settings
several years in both undergraduate and postgraduate education
leadership and management roles.

She is also an Honorary Lecturer with the Division of Nursing Auckland University.

Meeting reports

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Page last updated: 26 March 2009