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Neighbourhood Nurse Project

Introducing This Page

This page introduces you to the Neighbourhood Nurse Project. It gives you background information about the Neighbourhood Nurse innovation, links to related documents, explains the role of a Neighbourhood Nurse, and provides you with contacts of key staff involved in the project.

 

About the Neighbourhood Nurse Project

Neighbourhood Nurses - From left Karen Davidson, NN Reefton; Mary Marr NN Hokitika, Fiona Goodwin NN Hokitika and Chris Beadle NN Dobson (photo taken November 2005).

From left:
Karen Davidson, NN Reefton; Mary Marr, NN Hokitika;
Fiona Goodwin, NN Hokitika; and Chris Beadle, NN Dobson.
(photo taken November 2005)

 

West Coast District Health Board's proposal for a new role - the Neighbourhood Nurse - was awarded Primary Health Care Innovations Funding in March 2003. The proposal referenced the Rural Nurse Specialist role, an expanded generalist primary health care role established in smaller communities on the Coast - as one that could be modified and applied more widely.

The project began in Reefton in July 2003. In this first stage a position description and requisite competencies were developed by the community-based nurses in Reefton. This important work mapped out what a broader primary health care nurse role could involve.

The second stage of the project trialled the new role in three localities. The Neighbourhood Nurses 'tested' the framework against what was needed by their clients and communities and what was possible in everyday practice.

Both the service delivered and transition into a new role were evaluated, and a final report captured important learning for the development of primary health care nursing services.

These two leaflets give a quick overview of the new role and service:

Information for colleagues and referrers

Information for clients and families/whanau

 

Final Report and Appendices

Please note: The following document and appendices have been specially formatted for double-sided printing. They will also print single-sided, but you will find that in some cases there will be empty pages.

 

Background to the Neighbourhood Nurse Innovation

This background material for the West Coast District Health Board Neighbourhood Nurse project includes information about the funding application process, an overview document which summarises the proposal, the materials presenting the opportunity to trial the new role, and a locality map.

Neighbourhood Nurses Registration of Interest

Our Registration of Interest was one of 139 received by the Ministry of Health. This document located the project in Reefton and included a discussion of nursing models described by Merian Litchfield (1994, 2001) in relation to the Neighbourhood Nurse idea. It also referenced WCDHB's Rural Nurse Specialist role.

Please note that the document was written in August 2002, and is now out of date in its references to some events and entities (for example, the Centre for Rural Health, which closed in early 2003).

Neighbourhood Nurse Proposal Successful

Overview Document

The Overview Document summarises the 40 page Proposal, and the additional information subsequently requested by the Ministry before funding was awarded. Although the project included three localities (Reefton, Dobson and Hokitika) from September 2005, it continued with the purposes and ideas expressed in the Reefton-based Proposal.

'Primary Health Care Nursing Opportunity': Seeking applicants to trial the new role

An update to the webpage in June 2005 contained the information made available when the opportunity to trial the new Neighbourhood Nurse role was opened up Coast-wide:

 

Locality (Map)

Locality (Map)

 

People Involved in the Project

June 2003 - January 2005

People involved in the Reefton-based first stage of the project were:

Project Team

Robin Williams Project Sponsor/General Manager and Primary Care Services, Director of Nursing
Hellen Bygate Nurse Manager, Community/Primary Health Care Services
Michele Barber Project Leader (from July 2003)
Shelley Jones Project Consultant

Nurse Participants

Susan Barnett Public Health Nurse/Practice Nurse
Betty Gilsenan Public Health Nurse/Immunisation Coordinator
Margaret Prince District Nurse
Paula Smith District Nurse/Reefton Hospital Nurse
Betty Thomas Practice Nurse/Reefton Hospital Nurse/Rural Nurse Specialist

April 2005 - December 2006

People involved in the re-focussed second stage of the project were:

Project Team

Hecta Williams Project Sponsor/General Manager Primary Care Services
Jane O'Malley Director of Nursing and Midwifery (from November 2005)
Hellen Bygate Nurse Manager, Community and Primary Health Care Services (until June 2006)
Janet Hogan Acting Nurse Manager, Community and Primary Health Care Services (June - September 2006)
Maureen Frankpitt Nurse Manager, Community and Primary Health Care Services (from October 2006)
Chris Hendry Project Manager (from October 2005)
Shelley Jones Project Consultant

Nurse Participants (Neighbourhood Nurses)

Chris Beadle Dobson Health Clinic
Karen Davidson Reefton Medical Centre ('Whanau Nurse')
Mary Marr Hokitika Health Centre
Fiona Goodwin Hokitika Health Centre (until September 2006)

Acknowledgements also to

Kevin Hague who, as Planning and Funding Manager, then CEO, supported the goals of the project.

All those whose executive, technical and clerical support enabled the Project Team's work.

'Friends' of the project, who contributed critique at important points: Jocelyn Keith, Jean Ross, Leigh Hikuwai, Heather Maw, Anne Fitzwater, Janet Hogan, Tania Kemp, Deb Hughes.

Members of the Steering Group, who oversaw the project from April 2005.