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Assuring ftness to practise
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39
The role of the Council
The Council must inquire into all
notifcations it receives about nurses’
competence and determine courses of
action to assist the nurses to improve
and to keep the public safe.
The aim of the competence review
process is to help nurses to achieve
competent practice. Employers, in the
frst instance, address in the workplace
any concerns about nurses who are
practising below the required level of
competence. More serious concerns,
for example where a nurse has been
unable to sustain improvements in
practice following training or supervised
support, are referred to the Council.
Competence concerns include some,
or all, of the following characteristics:
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The nurse makes continual errors or
demonstrates poor practice showing:
– lack of skill or knowledge
– inadequate understanding of
concepts and procedures
– poor judgement based on
problems with assessment,
analysis or decision-making
– inability to work as part of a team
– diffculty in communicating with
colleagues, patients or clients.
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The nurse accepts responsibility for
activities knowing they are beyond
his/her scope of practice.
When a nurse is dismissed or resigns
for reasons related to competence, it is
mandatory for his/her employer to notify
the Council. The majority of referrals to
the Council are from employers and in
most cases the reporting of competence
concerns occurs after the nurses have
resigned or been dismissed.
The Health and Disability Commissioner
is also required to notify the Council if
Competence notifcations
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The Council received
notifcations of concern
about the competence
of 74 nurses.
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75 notifcations (one nurse
was reported twice) about
competence represent 0.15%
of the 50,060 nurses with
practising certifcates at the
end of March 2013.
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75 inquiries were completed into
notifcations about competence.
No further action was required in
relation to 16 nurses; 59 nurses
were assessed as requiring
competence reviews.
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47 competence reviews
were conducted.
he has reason to believe that a nurse
may pose a risk of harm to the public by
practising below the required standards
of competence. Referrals may also be
made by PCCs.
Any health professional may also
report a nurse if there are concerns
about competence. Other sources
of notifcation may include the nurse,
members of the public, the Ministry of
Health, the Health Practitioners Disability
Tribunal (HPDT), overseas regulatory
authorities, recertifcation audit results
or a health committee.
The competence review
process
Following a notifcation of a
competence concern, the Council
conducts an initial inquiry. If the inquiry
is unable to confrm the nurse’s current
competence, the nurse is required to
undergo a competence review if he/she
wishes to remain in practice.
In the 2012-2013 year the Council
received notifcations of concern about
the competence of 74 nurses (75
notifcations, with one nurse reported
twice). This represented a tiny proportion,
0.15%, of the 50,060 nurses with
practising certifcates at the end of March
2013. The number of notifcations from
the Health and Disability Commissioner
increased. This was due to three
notifcations involving two or more nurses
and an unusually low number of referrals
in the previous year. The number referred
by employers decreased, which may
be attributed to better performance
management in the workplace.
During the year 75 inquiries were
completed. No further action was
required in relation to 16 nurses, and
59 nurses were assessed as requiring
competence reviews.
2012
2013
KEY RESULTS