16 December 2020Some highlights: Season's greetings | AQUA | NZSA CEO Renu Borst | PANNZ Update Meeting | NZSA member renewals | NZSA 2020 conference recordings | Support Pacific colleagues | UK online conference - NZSA discount | Climate change & health report | webAIRS news | ACC Treatment Injury Report Season's greetings from NZSAThe NZSA office will close on Fri 18 Dec and reopen on Tues 5 Jan. We wish our members a safe and happy festive season. We hope that you will have the opportunity to relax and recharge with family and friends. For those working over the holiday season, thank you for your service. It has been a challenging year unlike any other, however we can be proud of our accomplishments and the lessons learnt. We look forward to continuing our work for our members and the anaesthesia community in 2021. Thank you for supporting the NZSA and see you in the New Year. AQUAWe ended 2020 on a high, with NZSA representatives and staff among the delegates at AQUA (Annual Queenstown Update in Anaesthesia, 10-12 December). We were truly fortunate to be able to host this meeting with JAFA after it was postponed in August. Presentations covered topics such as COVID, perioperative medicine, the NZ critical bleeding bundle, obstetrics and airways, along with workshops. ANZCA President Dr Vanessa Beavis spoke about ANZCA projects and the challenging year the College has had, especially with holding exams. There were two talks on the White Island/Whakaari eruption - one on the Middlemore experience presented by anaesthetist Dr Matt Taylor and the other on the disaster management response presented by Medical Director of St John NZ Dr Tony Smith. With
the change in seasons, AQUA swapped skiing with other physical pursuits - mountain biking, hiking and golf. There were also outstanding social activities including a BBQ at Jack's Point and a cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard the century-old coal fired steamship the TSS Earnslaw to have dinner at Walter Peak. NZSA CEO Renu BorstThe NZSA wishes NZSA CEO Renu Borst all the best as she makes the move to live in Melbourne - she will leave New Zealand this Friday. Renu will continue to work as NZSA CEO remotely, while the recruitment for a new CEO is underway. Her last day will be 30 April 2021. Renu says she is very grateful for all the support she has received from members over her eight years at NZSA and she would particularly like to thank all the NZSA Presidents she has worked with, Executives and her staff. NZSA President Dr Sheila Hart says that Renu has made a significant contribution to the Society, helping to boost NZSA membership and infrastructure. "She has delivered a solid platform for NZSA to continue to grow, have influence and keep our anaesthesia community strongly connected. We appreciate her leadership, dedication and professionalism." PANNZ Update Meeting 2021Jointly hosted by PANNZ and SPANZA (Society for Paediatric Anaesthesia in New Zealand and Australia). 5-6 March, 2021, Novotel Hotel, Rotorua NZSA membership renewalsNZSA membership renewals were sent out 30 November. Thank you to all those members who have paid and a reminder to members to please continue supporting your professional society. If you have any queries please email our Membership Manager Lynne Mulder-Wood membership@anaesthesia.nz. Please note that our office will close on 18 December and reopen 5 January. Our new website will automatically send you a receipt but if your DHB requires a more formal receipt, contact Lynne and she will arrange this on her return to the office. Anaesthetic Technician degree updateThe Auckland University of Technology has been developing the degree program for anaesthetic technician training, which was due to start in 2020. However, due to COVID delays the degree is now scheduled to come into effect in 2021. Intake for the diploma will continue into 2021 in an attempt to minimise the supply gap due to the change in training model. We have been engaged in stakeholder meetings over the last two years on the proposed degree content, and this month provided formal feedback on the final program that has been sent out for consultation. Our main concerns are to ensure that the degree complies with the ANZCA professional standard, PS08. Importantly, there must be 12 months of clinical placement as this is an essential component of PS08. Read our submission here We await the outcome of this process with interest to help ensure a steady supply of anaesthetic technicians, as many DHBs are already experiencing shortages. We will keep members up-to-date on developments over the coming months. NZSA 2020 Conference - recordingsAttendees at the NZSA 2020 Conference Emerge, Reflect and Reconnect provided very positive feedback on our two-day program of talks via our post-conference survey. Now all NZSA members can access recordings on the NZSA website, in our members only section (you will need to be logged in). Hear sessions on COVID, wellbeing, culture, trauma, bias, research and perioperative medicine. Initiative to support our Pacific colleagues - PACT
Donate the equivalent of just one coffee per week ($5) to help fund a Pacific anaesthesia trainee through their three-year Masters program at the Fiji National University. PACT (Pacific Anaesthesia Collaborative Training) is a new initiative from NZSA's Global Health Committee to support a sustainable anaesthesia workforce in the Pacific. If just 77 people donate one coffee per week (or more if they wish) to our PACT fund, we can provide the entire cost of a Pacific trainee’s education through the Masters program. It’s that simple! Join your colleagues who have already signed up and help us reach our target. More here UK Scientific Meeting - NZSA discount rateThe Association of Anaesthetists (UK) have kindly offered NZSA members a special discounted registration rate to attend its Winter Scientific Meeting (WSM) on 13-14 January 2021, which will be delivered for the first time as an online conference. NZSA members receive the Association member rate (to access this you will need to email events@anaesthetists.org to book). Delegates attending the WSM will have exclusive access to all conference content and interactive features on the virtual event platform. Conference content will also be available after the WSM has taken place. Climate change and health reportThe latest report on climate change and health by the Lancet Countdown shines a light on the impact climate change is having on our health and the need to align our recovery from COVID-19 with our response to climate change. "Evidence from this latest report shows that climate change induced shocks such as wildfires and heat waves are claiming lives and unless urgent action is taken, health impacts will worsen. Already disempowered groups within and between countries are, and will bear the greatest burden. No country, including New Zealand, is immune from the health impacts of climate change." The Lancet has also published an article on this report. webAIRSOn behalf of the Australian and New Zealand Anaesthetic Data Committee (ANZTADC), we would like to send greetings for the holiday season and New Year. Thank you to all webAIRS registered users in Australia and New Zealand for contributing more than 8500 incidents since its inception 11 years ago. We would also like to thank the ANZTADC members for their ongoing support of webAIRS, their involvement this year, and their commitment in 2021. Dr Pieter Peach ANZTADC Chair Visit the webairs website to register or email anztadc@anzca.edu.au ACC treatment injury reportACC has released its treatment injury publication ‘Supporting Treatment Safety 2020,’ which covers treatment injury claims submitted between July 2018-June 2019. The publication outlines injuries caused by treatment delivered in DHBs, New Zealand Private Surgical Hospital Association hospitals, and general practice settings. For the first time ACC has also included data about the ethnicity of people who were injured. ACC says that publishing treatment injury data supports health providers to understand areas of patient safety they may need to focus on. This information also guides ACC's prevention programs. Read the publication here. HQSC adverse events reportThe Health Quality and Safety Commission’s (HQSC) national summary of adverse events has been published, providing an overview of adverse events reported to the Commission by health service providers 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020.Clinical management events continue to make up the majority of reported adverse events including pressure injuries, delayed diagnosis or treatment, deterioration, and complications. Dr David Hughes, clinical lead for the Commission’s adverse events programme, says lockdown and the ongoing COVID-19 response, has made it extremely challenging for the health sector. "Now more than ever, we must remain focused on the quality of our care and on keeping our patients and ourselves safe." He says event numbers are closely linked to reporting rates, and an increase doesn't necessarily mean more adverse events have occurred. "What it may demonstrate is organisations continuing to develop an open culture where events are reported and learnt from, rather than an increase in preventable harm." Read the report here. NZSA magazineThe NZSA magazine will soon be delivered to your inbox or mailbox. We cover some of the presentations from our NZSA 2020 conference (COVID, bias). There is also a feature article on how we can support our Pacific colleagues to achieve a sustainable anaesthesia workforce, plus a range of columns and news updates. Please get in touch if you have ideas for future content and/or would like to contribute an article. Email Daphne Atkinson comms@anaesthesia.nz EventsFor more NZ events visit the NZSA events page 4th Annual Hands on Counties Regional Anaesthesia Cadaver Course (CRACC), 4 Feb 2021, University of Auckland Course numbers are kept to 27 participants maximum to ensure groups are small (3 people per instructor or less) and to optimize individual time scanning and needling. View the flyer and registration details here Anaesthesia Continuing EducationThe ACE website is a one-stop shop for anaesthesia events. Members convening conferences, workshops or meetings, which assist CPD requirements, are encouraged to add their event to the website. Advertising and quick links |