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We wish you all the best for 2022 and wish to inform you all that All DynaSpeak campuses are now open from today!
This means that you can book a time by making an appointment at the campus of your choice to come on site to enrol or complete your re-enrolment.
Please remember that when you… View moreWe wish you all the best for 2022 and wish to inform you all that All DynaSpeak campuses are now open from today!
This means that you can book a time by making an appointment at the campus of your choice to come on site to enrol or complete your re-enrolment.
Please remember that when you come on campus you must bring:
• Your passport
• Valid visa (e-visa)
• My Vaccine Pass
Open hours: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (3pm is the last enrolment time)
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for the country's best shed! Send in the photos and stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever storage spaces, cute chicken coops and potty potting sheds. The Resene Shed of the Year 2022 winners will receive prizes worth more than … View moreOnce again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for the country's best shed! Send in the photos and stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever storage spaces, cute chicken coops and potty potting sheds. The Resene Shed of the Year 2022 winners will receive prizes worth more than $2200. Just tell us in writing why your garden shed is New Zealand's best, and send up to five high-quality photos. Email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close Feb 27, 2022.
We brainstorm ideas, develop a structured plan, write a draft then edit and create a good copy. Children who struggle with writing love our structured approach and are immensely proud of their final products.
To kids, everywhere is a playground. It’s up to us to remind our whānau that it’s never okay to open a drain, even if they’ve dropped something in it. If you see a damaged or missing drain lid in your neighbourhood, call us on 09 301 0101 and we’ll come and fix it.
Get ready for the next school year with back to school items at affordable prices from Red Cross store . Come and Visit us at 571 Sandringham.
We are still on the look out for an amazing volunteers who had like to spare a few hours per week to support our Red Cross team at Sandringham. We are looking for volunteers on Monday morning ,Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning and Friday and Saturday. If you haven’t applied already and would … View moreWe are still on the look out for an amazing volunteers who had like to spare a few hours per week to support our Red Cross team at Sandringham. We are looking for volunteers on Monday morning ,Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning and Friday and Saturday. If you haven’t applied already and would like to lend a hand over to us. Push the button below for more information or to apply.
More information.
seekvolunteer.co.nz...
The Government needs to declare a health workforce emergency as Omicron threatens to rip through the community, a senior doctors' union is urging. "These are serious numbers ... doctors tell us they have never seen it so bad ... there is a lot of anxiety about the weeks ahead," ASMS … View moreThe Government needs to declare a health workforce emergency as Omicron threatens to rip through the community, a senior doctors' union is urging. "These are serious numbers ... doctors tell us they have never seen it so bad ... there is a lot of anxiety about the weeks ahead," ASMS executive director Sarah Dalton told.
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said preparations were underway to manage the impact of Omicron to our health system, however, they declined to outline specifically how capacity would be strengthened. More detail would be announced on Wednesday, they said.
They also failed to respond to questions about how DHBs could create extra resources and whether they would consider declaring a health workforce emergency.
An outbreak of the highly infectious new variant of Covid-19 meant New Zealanders would face more cancelled and delayed surgeries, resulting in an even bigger backlog, she said.
"We need to declare a health workforce emergency along the lines of a civil defence emergency, to trigger official action on staff retention and recruitment and ensure it is prioritised at central Government and regional hospital and community levels," Dalton said.
It comes after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moved the country into the red traffic light setting on Sunday at 11.59pm as nine Covid cases in Motueka were confirmed to have the Omicron variant. Top health experts predict daily case numbers could reach over a thousand in about two weeks.
Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield on Sunday morning assured New Zealanders there was plenty of capacity in the health system to deal with the initial stage of the Omicron outbreak.
"ICU capacity was under 70 per cent at the moment," Bloomfield said.
Yet, Dalton painted a different, more "chilling", picture, saying the lack of adequate staffing meant extremely limited or no ICU (intensive care unit) capacity in some regions.
Emergency departments (ED) regularly operated at well over 120 per cent capacity and being desperately overstretched was the norm, not the exception, she said.
"The situation was magnified over the holiday period with departments trying to manage exceedingly high patient volumes with even more barren rosters," Dalton said.
Patients in some EDs were left waiting up to eight hours just to be seen and others spent hours in ambulance bays waiting to be triaged, she said.
"Then there are those who didn't wait and left hospital without their health needs being met – many of whom were mental health patients.
"We are told seeing people sitting in ED corridors clutching their chest and looking unwell while waiting to be assessed is a common occurrence," Dalton said.
Looking across the Tasman last week was chilling, she said.
In Victoria, there were more than 4000 healthcare workers who couldn't work due to Covid isolation requirements, with 5000 estimated absences every day on average, Dalton said.
"Health authorities took an unprecedented step of calling a system-wide 'Code Brown' to manage a system buckling under severe staffing shortages and hospitalisation rates amid the Omicron outbreak," she said.
Back in New Zealand, some regions were already struggling more severely than others.
In one region with very high needs, one child psychiatrist is trying to cover the work of three, Dalton said.
In Southland, maternity services were so precarious the hospital's unit almost had to be downgraded because a senior doctor was unable to get back into the country.
In Canterbury, ongoing staffing pressures saw cancer patients waiting up to 12 weeks just to get a first specialist appointment, while 365 patients were waiting for radiation therapy, with treatment delays of up to four months.
"Running a large waiting list is a direct consequence of an understaffed service operating above clinical capacity," Dalton said.
Cancer Society of New Zealand chief executive Lucy Elwood said cancer services in many areas were stretched because there wasn't enough senior medical doctors and it meant wait times continued to get worse.
"We're aware many radiologists work significantly more clinical hours than their overseas counterparts as a result of the workforce gaps," she said.
Eldwood said the society supported ASMS's calls for declaring a health workforce emergency.
"It's particularly significant at the moment, as in the near future it's easy to imagine a material number of senior medical officers needed to isolate due to Covid," Elwood said.
A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said they had been asking the New Zealand public to prepare for Omicron by continuing to wear a mask, scan and pass, and to get a booster shot if eligible and a test if any symptoms occurred.
"Having a highly vaccinated population is less likely to put severe strain on our health system and is just one part of overall planning for Omicron."
The spokeswoman said the ministry was also strengthening health system capability and capacity.
"Our health system is preparing for hospitalisations due to Omicron as well as the extra support that will be needed in primary care and emergency services.
"As it does now, the health system will continue to prioritise services based on capacity and clinical need. Planning is underway at local, regional and national levels," she said.
Health Minister Andrew Little told the Herald he had no power to declare a state of emergency and was not aware of the data the ASMS was referring to.
"I have been kept advised of hospital occupancy rates throughout the Christmas/New Year period and they have averaged around 80 per cent with a couple of hospitals experiencing 50 per cent occupancy over a number of nights.
"However, we know there is a work force shortage right across the health system following a decade of neglect and underinvestment from the previous Government.
Little said a strong focus had been put on preparing the country's health system to deal with Covid.
"Because of this preparation and the amazing work of our health workers our hospitals have not become overwhelmed due to the pandemic response," he said.
Little said the Government had provided surge training to roughly an additional 1400 nurses to work in an ICU /HDU environment to support ICU nurses if required.
"Given the experience of Omicron overseas is that it is less severe than the Delta variant, with a lower hospitalisation rate and an even lower ICU admission rate, I am confident from our experience to date along with the other measures in place to slow the spread of omicron our system will again respond appropriately."
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www.nzherald.co.nz...
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🏃 Escape busy streets and discover pockets of native bush, coastal views and refreshing green spaces when you tackle these running trails.
#AKLSummerisCalling
If getting fit is on your 2022 'to do' list, join Froot Camp!
Froot Camp is a completely free bootcamp running in Auckland Domain - a great bunch of people who love to have a laugh while they sweat. We train three times a week and every session is different (so you'll never get … View moreIf getting fit is on your 2022 'to do' list, join Froot Camp!
Froot Camp is a completely free bootcamp running in Auckland Domain - a great bunch of people who love to have a laugh while they sweat. We train three times a week and every session is different (so you'll never get bored).
Here's what you need to know:
- it's FREE! (Froot Camp = Free Bootcamp!)
- we train at 6pm on Tuesday and Thursday and 9am Saturday
- we meet at the back of the Museum
- all fitness levels are welcome
- all you need to bring is a good attitude and your water bottle
Questions? Ask below!
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