Southland DHB discriminates against bi-polar nurse.

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/2899811/DHB-discriminated-against-bi-polar-nurse-ERA

Now even the DHB Nurses are speaking out……

http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/nurses-claim-patients-lives-risk-3007110

Supreme Court rules that Psychiatric patients can now sue Government.

Form a queue: this line is going to be a long one:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10597940/

Hasn’t the Health & Disability Commissioner been a busy boy?

It is indeed heartening to see HDC head Ron Patterson and his crew finally entering  into the spirit of the legitimate “naming and shaming” of practitioners who breach fundamental standards of best practice with vulnerable clients.

First, there was the Palmerston North Medical Centre:

http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/palms-doctors-named-and-shamed-2961691

then there was the Counsellor who was fond of sleeping with his clients who were suffering from sexual abuse issues:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/2845236/Counsellor-seen-as-serious-risk-to-public

and now we have the Psychiatric nurse and former Higher Ground Alcohol & Drug Centre supervisor who was struck off for having over 200 hard core images of child porn on his computer:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10597489

It would appear that Mr Patterson has at long last realised just how devastatingly effective his role can be when he shines a long overdue torch into the recesses of the mental health and clinical care industries. In doing so, the health and safety of the mental health consumer is enhanced, as is the accountability of practitioners within the industry.

This outcome has got to be a good one.

Psychiatric Nurse de-registered for child porn offences.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10597489

Metro Magazine article exposes care failures at Te Whetu Tawera.

Metro Magazine (August 2009) has an excellent article on the litany of care failures at Te Whetu Tawera, and the suspension of Dr Thomas Rudegeair, formerly the Clinical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist at Te Whetu Tawera. Rudegeair is now apparently employed as a Community Psychiatrist at the St Lukes Community Mental Health Centre in Auckland. It appears that St Lukes is a little reluctant to confirm this fact one way or the other – maybe something the various media who read this blog might want to check out for themselves?

Teens Death in ADHB Mental Health Care: Call for answers

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2838216/Teens-death-Call-for-answers

Inadeqaute care led to mans death (Southland DHB)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10594573

Beheaded her 4 year old son….but mental health officials said “she’s no threat” prior to the event.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10591726

A note to nursing and mental health students……

It has come to my attention that Psychwatch NZ is now a feature part of the nursing and / or mental health curriculum in some Universities and Polytechnics – this is of course great news.

However, it seems that a number of Lecturers on these same courses are making no attempt to provide their students with a balanced perspective regarding the Psychwatch NZ website.

So, if you are a nursing or mental health student who may be studying Psychwatch NZ as a case study for Ethics, please feel free to make contact with me via the comments section of this website – I would be happy to answer any questions you may have, or even speak to your Faculty or class in person.

Kind Regards,

 

Steve Taylor,

Convener,

Psychwatch NZ