Better, sooner, more convenient health care in Midlands

6 Our NetworkA focus on workforce knowledge, skills and attitude• Re-igniting the passion of our primary health teams through a managed communication processhighlighting the primacy of their role for all patients.Promotion of Primary Care as a desirable field to work inThe extensive contribution that primary health care nursing can make to reducing health inequalities,achieving population health gains and promoting and preventing disease is yet to be fully realised.In the ‘new’ primary health care environment, primary health care nursing has a unique opportunityto remodel and revitalise the contribution it makes to the health and well-being of New Zealanders.Primary health care nurses in the Pinnacle network will benefit educationally and professionallythrough having a structured career path to follow, regardless of whether they aspire to reach nursepractitioner level or choose to settle at any given point along the pathway.The aim of any framework for post-registration professional development should be to provide avariety of educational options and pathway strands, rather than a ladder approach that pressurisesnurses to reach a certain level of academic achievement. Short specialty programmes designedto develop clinical skills in the management of for example, diabetes, asthma, smoking cessation,the health and well-being of children, are made available throughout the network. Nurses arealso supported into formal primary health care post graduate nursing programmes leading to arecognised primary health care qualification and possible registration as a Nurse Practitioner. Wewill develop a strategy to support those nurses who aspire to become Nurse Practitioners to ensure,right scope, right population, right place and right service.The beginning point for growing the primary health care nursing workforce is our successfulgraduate internship programme which combines postgraduate study with a structured transitionto practice. The new graduates have an expanded 12 month orientation during which time theyare supernumerary and are exposed to a range of primary health care settings and experiences.The outcomes of this programme are a prepared workforce of nurses who are critical thinkers andlifelong learners able to respond to change with vision and resilience. These are the primary healthcare nurses of the future, these are the nurse leaders of the future.Changing Patient StoriesPatient stories will contain examples of managed and consistent care - not disaster stories. Patientswill become the evangelists and the energy behind the change in our community. Their stories ofexperiencing the Duty of Care model will be the infectious element that energises those who aretraditionally disengaged to re-engage with their practice and establish a dialogue with their healthteam again.Patients from the Midlands region will regret moving out of the area because the standard of theirprimary care experience will drop.When patients and community stakeholders want advice on a health contact or piece of informationthey will• think to contact their team;• know how to contact their team;• get a response in a timely fashion;• respect the team’s advice as expert and professional;• trust the team to deliver on their promises.69