11 February 2011

Taumarunui Hospital’s first nurse practitioner will start later this month.

Jane Jeffcoat, from Australia, completed her nursing training in Sydney and has held a number of nursing positions during her career including clinical nurse specialist and clinical nurse manager roles in busy operating theatres.

The married mother of four became a nurse practitioner in October 2010, combining her extensive nursing and rural experiences, and allowing her to prescribe medication and independently triage and treat a wide range of conditions.

Taumarunui Hospital manager Joanne Knight welcomes Jane to the team and sees this as a great opportunity for a nurse with this level of expertise joining the team.

“Appointments like Jane’s mean that more and more nurse-led services can be provided locally."

Mrs Jeffcoat is not new to rural health having recently worked as a nurse in Colville as part of a successful Waikato DHB pilot that merged the roles of district, practice and public health nurses into a single role.

The pilot saw people living in the northern Coromandel Peninsula receiving all nursing care from a single practitioner.

While in Colville, Jane also assisted with the establishment of a community first response service where volunteers were trained in workplace first aid and formed a roster to provide support in local emergencies.

The establishment of a volunteer ambulance service in this area and the provision of nurse-led primary care after hours services were also supported by Jane’s enthusiasm for improved local health services.

She describes her new role as an opportunity to provide a seamless health continuum between hospital and primary care services.

“In small communities it is important for all health professionals to be working together and providing integrated care."

Jane moved to Taumarunui with her family this month and starts her new role on 21 February.

ENDS