Nursing Council Audit Pause Puts Patient Safety At Risk

Nursing Council Audit Pause Puts Patient Safety At RiskA decision by the New Zealand Nursing Council to pause part of its recertification process will put patients at risk, NZNO says. Every year the Nursing Council audits five percent of practising nurses to provide assurance that nurses are meeting continuing competence requirements. Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the Nursing Council temporarily paused Recertification Audit requirements earlier this month as part of a "strategic review of the continuing competence requirements for enrolled and registered nurses". "Despite this, the Nursing Council is continuing to assess nurses’ portfolios as part of their Annual Practising Certificates. As the largest independent organisation of nurses, NZNO has written to the Nursing Council seeking a meeting to discuss the pause and the strategic review, Kerri Nuku says.