1. education
2. graduate school
3. college

GPPULSE
THE ROYAL NEW ZEALAND COLLEGE OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS
New Fellows programme – p7
New GPs have always looked to their faculties for advice and support, and Kapa
Kaiaka reinforces this connection while new Fellows become experienced GPs.
No ifs, butts or maybes
Introducing flexible learning
We have feedback!
Your time starts now…
Encouraging smokers to quit
inside and outside the practice.
Addressing the challenge of
teaching more registrars each year.
Three case studies demonstrating
the value of member feedback
on health policy proposals.
Rachel Jones talks about being
a Visiting Medical Educator and
giving back to the profession.
ISSUE 41
March 2015
CONTENTS
COLLEGE NEWS
The affliction of kings – page 4
Once thought to afflict only the degenerate, gout is the second-most
common form of arthritis in New Zealand. An upcoming campaign aims
to dispel myths about gout and encourage people to see their GP if they
think they have it.
EDITORIAL
FEATURES
1
2
“We have feedback!”
3
Dame Tariana Turia receives
prestigious international award
1
President Tim Malloy recaps the
inaugural meeting of the College’s
new Education Advisory Group
and outlines its focus on thinking
strategically about all our education
programmes.
Helen Morgan-Banda shares the
background to Kapa Kaiaka – our
new Fellows’ programme – and
invites you to nominate colleagues
and peers for a College Award.
5
Smokefree by 2025 – no ifs, butts
or maybes
6
Introducing flexible learning
6
MoH Patient Portal survey
6
Call for Nominations – 2015 College
Awards
7
College launches Kapa Kaiaka for
new Fellows
8
Sue Crengle joins the College
Board
9
College elections begin in April
10 Confernece for General Practice
YOUR TIME STARTS NOW!
4
Arthritis New Zealand unveils gout
campaign
11 A chocolate-lover who confesses
to being no Nigella in the kitchen,
Dr Rachel Jones falls back on a
classic to serve her guests.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic form or
transmitted in any form or by any other means electronically, mechanical photocopying, recording
or otherwise without express permission of the College. Views expressed in GP Pulse are not
necessarily those of the College or the editors.
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners
PO Box 10440, Wellington 6143
Phone: (04) 496 5999, Fax: (04) 496 5997, Email: rnzcgp@rnzcgp.org.nz
Editor: Bernadette Cornor www.rnzcgp.org.nz/gp-pulse-magazine ISSN: 1178-6795
Editorial
Making education work better
In late February, I attended the first meeting of the College’s new
Education Advisory Group.
hangs up their stethoscope for the
last time.
To some of you, this may seem to be a throwback to the old days of
the Education Advisory Committee, but I can assure you nothing is
further from the truth. The old Committee had wide ranging ‘powers’
that extended from granting Fellowship and setting national standards
to levels of operational detail best dealt with by College staff on a
day-to-day basis.
Some of the discussion at the
meeting centred on an even
more fundamental premise what motivators were there for
medical students to become GPs,
what were their expectations in
medicine, and how could primary
care education programmes
influence this?
The purpose of the n e w Group is to provide expert advice to
the College Board, CEO and management on matters relating to all
the College’s education and training programmes and the standards,
regulations and policies relating to that education.
From my point of view, the most important piece of the Group’s
Terms of Reference is that it is instructed to provide advice on all
levels of training and education. This goes from pre-vocational, for
example the Postgraduate Generalist Placement education programme
(PGGP) and the Medical Council of New Zealand’s pre-vocational
requirement for three months in a community placement, through
to the GPEP vocational training and the continuing professional
development programmes for Fellows.
The primary care sector is going through a sea change and education
will be at the centre of this. The ‘one-size-fits-all’ sausage machine
of med school, hospital, then GP training is no longer desirable nor
appropriate. The education the College delivers must be bespoke
for every level of teaching and learning. This starts at medical school
(some might even say high school), through to the day that the GP
Dr Tim Malloy
It is not new news that the College is looking to take on even more
GPEP Year 1 registrars this year, and if all the stars align, it will be
considerably more than the 171 who started last December.
We have already begun the recruitment campaign to get the
numbers we require, and this growth for the College gives us an ideal
opportunity to look at how these registrars will be taught for their
entire career.
This is what makes the new Education Advisory Group so invigorating
– we won’t be delving into the detail; we have a great operational
team in Wellington who is expert in doing this. What we will be doing
is doing the strategic thinking about our education programmes and
their delivery, and the excellent breadth of knowledge and individual
skills of those on the Group will enable us to do this.
Dr Tim Malloy, President
Supporting our new Fellows
From time to time, I am asked, and rightly so, about the level of
support the College gives its members, especially after Fellowship.
Increasing membership engagement is a key issue for the College and
one that was a key focus of a recent Board strategy session.
A number of initiatives are now underway including Kapa Kaiaka – the
new Fellows programme.
Attaining Fellowship of the College is a key moment in any GP’s
life. Kapa Kaiaka aims to recognise this and increase the number of
resources available for new Fellows, set up opportunities to network
with peers, nurture existing relationships and develop new ones, and
access additional professional development opportunities.
Also in this issue of GP Pulse there is a focus on smoking and cardiovascular disease. While these issues are on GPs’ radars, other issues
such as gout will become more common. I was surprised to find that
gout is the second most common arthritic condition, and that many of
the old myths about the condition were in fact just that – myths.
There is also information on a new
Board member, Te Akoranga a M¯aui
representative Sue Crengle, the
upcoming Board elections and the
College Awards process.
College Awards let us celebrate
those who have given outstanding
service to general practice or the
community – it’s important we
Helen Morgan-Banda
acknowledge the work of our
members in this way, so if you feel
a colleague is deserving, I’d encourage you to nominate them.
And as always in the run up to the College Conference, there is
more news; this month about our keynote speakers. With the call for
abstracts closing at the end of February, we hope to have more details
of the programme, and registration, next month.
Helen Morgan-Banda, CEO
ISSUE 41 : March 2015 : P1
Features
“We have feedback!”
Inform, educate, advocate is the College’s raison d’être, so this month we
take an in-depth look into our role in representing members’ views on the
various consultation requests we receive.
The College regularly makes submissions
to external stakeholders on topics relevant
to general practice and primary care. The
Ministry of Health, the Medical Council of
New Zealand and PHARMAC are a few of
the stakeholders we interact with.
Michael Thorn, the College’s Manager Policy,
Research and Evaluation leads the College’s
Policy Team. “We’re responsible for drafting
the College’s responses to consultation
requests on behalf of College members,
and as part of that process we always ask
members for their feedback”, says Michael.
The College contributes to policy
development in a wide range of matters;
recently these have included topics as diverse
as the:
• retention of the GP category on
Immigration New Zealand’s Long Term
Skill Shortage List to reflect the shortages
of GPs in the labour market
• lowering of the legal alcohol limit for
drivers aged 20 years and older
• introduction of a plain packaging legal
regime for tobacco products
• proposed requirements for vetting and
screening people working with children
under the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
“If anyone wondered if their feedback makes
a difference, I’d like to say it certainly does.
It often provides us with much-needed
insight into the likely practical effects a policy
proposal could have on general practice”,
adds Deanne Wong, Senior Policy Advisor.
“We’re very conscious that GPs are busy
people, so even short responses such as ‘the
document looks fine’ are very helpful for us
and much appreciated.”
“For examples of how feedback makes
a difference, these three case studies
demonstrate how valuable members’
P2 : ISSUE 41 : March 2015
feedback has been in representing the New
Zealand context in primary health care,” says
Deanne.
Cardiac rehabilitation
In January 2015, the College was asked to
comment on a study quoted by the National
Health Committee (NHC), which suggested
that cardiac rehabilitation is no longer
effective in reducing cardiac mortality and
hospitalisations for patients with ischaemic
heart disease compared with usual care.
We were concerned that the NHC intended
to recommend a major change to treatment
based on a single study. Feedback was sought
from members, and Professor Tim Stokes and
Dr Jim Vause both provided invaluable advice
to the College.
Professor Stokes reviewed the evidence and
felt the study had methodological problems
and was out-of-step with other published
research – including a 2011 Cochrane
systematic review. Dr Vause provided an
informed perspective on: models of care
in New Zealand compared to the UK
(where the study quoted by the NHC
was conducted); how care might be better
integrated; and how to ensure sector buy-in
for any changes.
The advice heavily informed the College’s
submission to the NHC, and Professor Stokes
and Dr Vause were given an opportunity to
review the draft before it was submitted.
With their consent, the submission also
acknowledged their important contributions.
Statements on refugee and
asylum seeker health
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
(RACP) asked the College for feedback
on areas lying within the College’s area of
expertise in a position statement and a policy
statement on refugee and asylum seeker
health. The RACP was especially interested in
views of where further work was needed to
ensure the statements were relevant to the
New Zealand situation.
Our initial assessment was that the
statements focussed on the Australian context
with little, and in some places no, reference
to New Zealand. We requested feedback
from College members through a notice in
ePulse and an email to members who have
expressed interest in a number of areas
including immunisation, inequalities, mental
health, screening and preventative medicine.
Dr Helen Saunders, a GP and Clinical Lead
of Refugee Health, Auckland Regional Public
Health Service, responded with crucial
feedback on refugee and asylum seeker health
in New Zealand, and how this information
should be incorporated into the RACP
resources. This informed our response, and
was very much appreciated by the RACP.
Although this area is not often considered
mainstream in general practice, the feedback
provided was vital for the primary healthcare
of this population.
ACC-funded Pain Management
Services
ACC had reviewed its own funded Pain
Management Services and reached a number
of conclusions, including an assumption that
GPs were overly inclined to treat chronic
pain with medication, rather than making a
referral to an ACC-funded Pain Management
Service. We requested member feedback on
ACC’s conclusions, and learned that some
GPs (perhaps the majority) were not aware
of the range of Pain Management Services
funded through ACC. The services were often
highly valued by those who knew about them,
but access to them was considered “overly
bureaucratic”.
Features
Importantly, respondents commented that
chronic pain often begins with a physical
injury where medication is initiated as a
temporary measure during the healing
process. It is only when pain relief medication
fails, that a referral is made to a Pain
Management Service – and in retrospect,
the use of medication to treat a patient
with chronic pain may be seen to have been
unsuitable.
The feedback received was anonymised and
collated into a document given to ACC at a
face-to-face meeting. Members’ contribution
to the review’s conclusions meant the
discussion between College staff and ACC
was better informed, and more concrete
advice could be provided on ACC’s Pain
Management Services. The College suggested
improving the access and visibility of the
services to general practice and gave advice
on the appropriate use of medication for pain
management, and the appropriate timing of a
referral to a Pain Management Service. ACC’s
review is continuing, so watch this space for
changes.
How to have your say
When the College receives requests for
feedback on consultation documents, we
ask for members’ comments via ePulse and
the College’s website (at https://www.
rnzcgp.org.nz/consultation-requests).
We also send requests by email to members
of relevant professional interest groups.
For some consultation requests we ask
members to provide feedback directly to
the external organisation. Once finalised,
the College’s submissions are posted on our
website at: https://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/
submissions-2 to keep members up to
date.
You can sign-up to one
or more professional
interest groups in order to
receive correspondence
from us on any relevant
consultations, by visiting
the “My professional
interests” page at:
https://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/
my-professional-interests/
Dame Tariana Turia receives prestigious
international award
In Dubai this month, Hon Dame Tariana Turia will be presented with the
Luther L Terry Award for Outstanding Community Service.
Presented every three years by the
American Cancer Society, the Luther
L. Terry Awards recognise outstanding
worldwide achievement in the field of
tobacco control.
Named for the late United States SurgeonGeneral Luther L Terry, whose groundbreaking work established the foundation
for public health scrutiny of the dangers of
tobacco use, the Awards honour outstanding
leadership and accomplishment, and signify
that the recipients are among the very best in
the world at what they do.
Smokefree Coalition Director Dr Prudence
Stone said she made the nomination to
acknowledge Dame Tariana’s tremendous,
tireless and courageous work in championing
a smokefree New Zealand.
“In her time in Parliament, Dame Tariana
introduced no fewer than five pieces of
legislation, which have achieved increases in
excise tax, banned retail displays of tobacco
products, reduced duty free allowances and
introduced plain packaging.
“She has also promoted smokefree cars
where children are present and set in place a
NZ$20 million Innovation Fund for projects
that will increase effective cessation among
New Zealand’s priority populations.”
Already, there are more than 10 innovative
cessation projects operating in New Zealand
funded by this programme.
Dame Tariana’s nomination was supported by
Pacific Heartbeat, the Heart Foundation and
Hapai Te Hauora.
ISSUE 41 : March 2015 : P3
Features
Arthritis New Zealand unveils gout campaign
Arthritis New Zealand will launch a new campaign in late March to raise
public awareness of gout and to encourage Kiwis who think they may have
the illness to see their GP, so it can be managed and treated.
An estimated 120,000 New
Zealanders have gout, making
it the second most common
form of arthritis.
Arthritis New Zealand Chief
Executive Sandra Kirby says
gout is an important marker
of health risk and often co
morbid with diabetes and
heart disease, so there are
implications for primary care
clinical practice.
“It’s important people with
gout feel confident in their
ability to manage the condition
and are not embarrassed by it.”
A TV commercial will build on
the “Arthritis it could surprise
you!” theme of previous
arthritis campaigns and
features former All Black and
Hurricanes prop Neemia
Tialata as a fit person living
with and managing gout.
Diagnosed at the age of 27, Neemia controls
his gout with diet and daily medication.
Ms Kirby says the TV commercial and
supporting campaign activities should
help dispel a number of public myths and
misunderstandings about gout, including that
it is an ‘old man’s disease’, mainly affects the
wealthy and can’t be treated.
“In fact, while gout is more likely to occur in
males and in M¯aori and Pacific people, it can
affect anyone of any age and can strike any
time.
“Dietary changes and effective medications,
such as allopurinol and probenecid, help bring
uric acid levels down.”
P4 : ISSUE 41 : March 2015
The campaign has the following key messages
for the public:
• Gout is a form of arthritis – it’s the
second most common form of arthritis
in New Zealand and one of the most
painful.
• If you think you may have gout, go and
see your GP or visit the Arthritis New
Zealand website.
• Thankfully, gout can be managed. There
are effective medicines available to treat it
– you don’t have to be trapped by gout.
• About 80 percent of the time high uric
acid is caused by people’s genes, their
weight or kidney problems. About 20
percent is caused by food and drink.
• Gout is three times more common in
men than women.
• Many M¯aori and Pacific men are
genetically more likely to get gout – it’s
estimated up to 14 percent of M¯aori and
Pacific men have it.
• You can help control gout by taking your
gout medication every day – even if you
aren’t having a gout attack. Losing weight,
eating healthy food and staying away from
alcohol and fizzy drinks can also help.
Features
Being smokefree by 2025 –
no ifs, butts or maybes
Dr Samantha Murton, Medical Director
As we head for World Smokefree Day (31
May) again this year, I wonder what our
practice is going to do to mark it.
We are in the middle of the city on one of
the sunnier streets, with few seats available.
Last year, a large company was in the building
opposite us and the workers would regularly
cross the street and sit on the wall outside
our practice, literally having their smoko.
We put signs up saying “Your smoke is going
into our HEALTH centre”, and they moved
further down the road, but every morning I
still pick up the five or six cigarette butts that
have blown under our door.
So what to do this year? We have often made
an event of the day and the week leading up
to it – it is one of our doctor’s birthdays so
we can’t forget it anyway.
A couple of years ago, we convinced two of
our local lads to paint up the windows with
one healthy lung and a not so healthy one.
On World Smokefree Day we jogged around
the street at lunch time and gave out quit
cards to any passers-by. This included the
office workers from across the road who got
fed up with being asked if they wanted one.
But persuading people to quit is a daily event,
as well as an annual one.
Every day I ask my smokers if they have
thought about quitting yet, and sometimes
I am surprised. This sparks much clapping
and patting on backs and encouraging words
“Well done, marvellous, good on you, that
is hard to do but you have managed it fabulous”. Occasionally there is the shameful
look at the floor and an “Oh, I restarted
again”.
Every week our practice nurse reminds
us of the number ‘brief smoking cessation
interventions’ we need to clock to keep up
with our targets.
It is hard not to
become weary. Our
patients are often
weary of us asking; we
are weary of finding
new ways to say kindly,
“YOU HAVE JUST
GOT TO STOP”.
But there is evidence
that brief advice from
doctors asking people
to quit compared to
no advice at all makes a
difference to quit rates
(Cochrane review
2013). However
a more intensive
intervention did not
make a statistically
significant difference.
So those brief oneliners - “Have you
thought about quitting
yet? Let me know if I
can help when you do”
- do make a difference.
So let’s persevere
like Dame Tariana
Turia, recognised for
her lifetime’s work in
promoting a Smokefree
Aotearoa, and see if we
can get smoke free by 2025.
The 2014 World Smokefree Day team:Thomas Brickland,
4th year medical student; Susan Gill, social worker; Sam
Murton, GP; Karen Oldfield, GPEP year 3 registrar;
Christine Marshall, receptionist
I have wondered if I could put up a sign that
says – this practice will be smokefree by
2025. That is only 10 years away. What would
our patients who smoke say?
I have yet to audit my office neighbours to
see if annoying signage on the windows and
accosting them in the streets has made an
impact. Actually they have left, so I have a
new population to survey.
An evidence-based approach could see me
counting the cigarette butts on the doormat.
Then I could stick the stats up on the window
– “2190 cigarette butts on my doormat this
year, let’s see if we can get that down.”
But perhaps this year, I will collect them and
make a work of art to decorate the smoko
wall for World Smokefree Day on 31 May.
What will you be doing?
ISSUE 41 : March 2015 : P5
College News
Introducing flexible learning
For the last two years, the College has enrolled
more registrars into the GPEP programme than ever
before – 171 in 2015 – and this trend looks set to
continue. Although the numbers of places for 2016
are not confirmed yet, next year’s enrolments will
be at least the same as the 2015 intake, if not more.
Although the possibility of more GPs is an
exciting prospect for primary health care
in New Zealand, the increasing numbers
of registrars brings with it the challenge
of continuing to provide effective teaching
systems.
To address this challenge, the College is
taking a blended approach, continuing to
support the one-on-one teaching model used
by many practices, but also embracing some
more flexible learning arrangements.
Examples of flexible learning arrangements
are:
• a registrar may work across two training
sites
• a teacher may be responsible for two or
more registrars
• a teaching practice may consistently have
registrars at many different stages or from
different programmes.
Flexible learning takes a collaborative approach
to learning, with a key theme of creating a
community of practice where registrars can
learn from, and within, a multidisciplinary team.
It also blends the current traditional one-onone teaching practice with online learning,
such as virtual seminars and modules.
College chief executive Helen Morgan-Banda
says, “The College will be piloting flexible
learning in two or three training areas in the
next few months, with the aim of rolling it out
fully for GPEP 2016, following evaluation.
“During the pilot, the College will be working
closely with the clinical leads and medical
educators to make sure registrars, teachers
and teaching practices are supported through
this exciting new change to the way the
College trains its registrars”, she says.
“The College will also be collaborating with
teachers and medical educators to develop
a suite of high-quality resources to support
flexible learning.”
If you would like more information about
flexible learning, teaching or becoming a
teaching practice, please contact Todd Mushet,
Manager – Learning Delivery by email:
todd.mushet@rnzcgp.org.nz
MoH Patient
Portal survey
Call for Nominations –
2015 College Awards
The Ministry of Health is carrying
out regular surveys to track GPs’
views of patient portals.
Each year, the College presents
five awards to members that
recognise their achievements and
contributions to general practice
and to the College.
If you would be willing to take
part in one of the confidential
10-minute surveys, please register
your interest at:
patientportals@ithealthboard.
health.nz
P6 : ISSUE 41 : March 2015
The Awards are:
•
•
•
•
•
Distinguished Fellow
Honorary Fellow
Distinguished Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Community Service Medal
Please consider who amongst your colleagues
and peers would be a worthy recipient of a
College Award and submit your nomination
by 5pm on Wednesday 10 April 2015.
For more information, biographies of past
Award recipients, and the nomination form,
please visit our website or email
awards@rnzcgp.org.nz
This year’s College Awards will be presented
at the 2015 Conference for General Practice
in Hamilton, 31 July-2 August.
College News
College launching
programme
for new Fellows
College President Tim Malloy
is delighted to announce Kapa
Kaiaka, a programme to support
new Fellows.
“Making the transition from being a registrar
to becoming a vocationally registered GP is
a significant achievement. It is a gateway to
a rewarding and satisfying career, but it can
also present challenges”, says Tim.
“New GPs may take time to gain the
experience and confidence they need to
navigate the fast-changing world of general
practice. They must make choices about their
careers, learn where to draw the boundaries
between their personal and professional lives,
and establish new networks and relationships.
“And that’s where Kapa Kaiaka comes in to
provide a hand.”
In English, Kapa Kaiaka translates as ‘a group
of experts’. The name captures the idea that
being a new Fellow is one of many phases
GPs will move through during their career.
Kapa Kaiaka aims to support GPs as they
embark on the first stage of that journey.
The group has its origins in September
2013, when the College Board approved the
formation of a working group to develop
a programme to support new Fellows. The
working group’s recommended foundation
principles were agreed by the Board in
August 2014, and Kapa Kaiaka is to be
officially launched at the College’s annual
Conference in Hamilton at the end of July.
• opportunities to attend seminars,
conference sessions and leadership
training.
The leadership training will be open to all
GPs but is particularly aimed at Kapa Kaiaka
members, as new Fellows can play a valuable
role in training others, especially medical
students.
While planning is still in progress, the College
hopes to be able to offer several leadership
training courses each year. Training may also
be offered in other areas, such as business
management.
With about 250 new Fellows each year, the
College expects there to be around 750
Fellows in Kapa Kaiaka at any one point. All
new Fellows will be automatically enrolled in
the programme, at no extra charge, but GPs
will be able to opt out if they choose not to
join the programme.
Kapa Kaiaka will run for the first three years
of Fellowship, which reflects the length of
the College’s Maintenance of Professional
Standards (MOPS) continuing professional
development programme. The support
offered by Kapa Kaiaka will augment the
MOPS programme, which is currently the
main source of peer support for new Fellows.
New Fellows on the programme will have
access to:
New GPs have always looked to their
faculties for advice and support, and Kapa
Kaiaka reinforces this connection.
• resources on a wide range of relevant
issues
• opportunities to network with their
peers, nurturing existing relationships and
developing new ones
• a wide range of professional development
opportunities
College faculties – in Auckland, Waikato,
Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Nelson/
Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and
Southland, as well as seven sub-faculties –
will engage with Kapa Kaiaka members and
give them opportunities to collaborate with
their local and regional peers.
M¯aori health equity is another important
consideration for the programme. Of the 253
Fellows who graduated in the last year, about
15 (six percent) identified as M¯aori.
Te Akoranga a M¯aui, the College’s M¯aori
faculty, has a long history of providing
experienced mentors to M¯aori doctors
setting out on their careers as GPs. Kapa
Kaiaka will build on this valuable mentoring
tradition.
The resources available through Kapa
Kaiaka will augment the resources that the
College already offer to GPs. Kapa Kaiaka
resources will provide general information
on core issues, and will be mainly available
online.
A resource kit has already been developed
to give Kapa Kaiaka members information
and advice about professional issues, business
management, ethical and medico-legal
considerations, mentoring, dealing with stress
and staying healthy.
New Fellows will be able to access
programme resources and support through
the College’s website. A new online
community will be developed for Kapa Kaiaka
members, in addition to a dedicated quarterly
Kapa Kaiaka newsletter.
“From the College’s perspective, Kapa Kaiaka
will continue to raise the standard of general
practice in New Zealand by encouraging new
Fellows to become more connected with
their peers and to access the support they
need to get the best possible start on their
career path,” says Tim.
Over the coming weeks, the College will
contact new Fellows and invite them to
paricipate in Kapa Kaiaka.
ISSUE 41 : March 2015 : P7
College News
Sue Crengle joins the College Board
Dr Sue Crengle has been appointed to the College Board as the new
representative of Te Akoranga a Maui, the Maori chapter.
Sue (Kai Tahu, Kati Mamoe, Waitaha) was
Chair of the College’s Auckland faculty
from 1997 to 1999. During her term, she
championed the establishment of a M¯aori
health strategic working party that initiated
processes aimed at improving M¯aori health
and wellbeing within the College.
She was also instrumental in enabling two
M¯aori GPs to attend Council meetings in
non-voting positions, which later led to
establishment of Te Akoranga a M¯aui.
Sue gained her Fellowship in Public Health in
2001.
In 2009, she completed her Doctor of
Philosophy with a thesis entitled: The primary
care management of children’s asthma: are
there ethnic differences in care?
She went on to work as Senior Medical
Lecturer for Te Kupenga Hauora M¯aori, the
Department of M¯aori Health in the Faculty of
Medical and Health Sciences at the University
of Auckland.
An internationally recognised health
researcher, Sue’s work has focused on M¯aori
health and youth issues. She has served on
many committees and national advisory
groups, including chairing Te Ohu Rata o
Aotearoa – M¯aori Medical Practitioners
Association (Te ORA).
In 2012, the College honoured Sue with
Distinguished Fellowship for her outstanding
and sustained services to the aims and
work of the College, and to the science and
practice of medicine.
That same year, Sue made the transition
back to general practice. She now divides
her time between working as a GP at
Invercargill Medical Centre, carrying out
research projects for the University of
Auckland and Unitec Institute of Technology,
and membership of Te Waipounamu M¯aori
Cancer Leadership Group and the Perinatal
P8 : ISSUE 41 : March 2015
Sue Crengle and her Mum on the Kopjes landscape, Serengeti Desert.
and Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
“I moved back into general practice
because I missed the patient contact,”
says Sue.
As a Board member, Sue hopes to ensure M¯aori
health competencies are reflected in the work
of the College, including activities such as the
maintenance of professional standards (MOPS)
professional development programme.
“Now I have the best of all worlds – a
great mix of being a GP, research, public
health and my new role on the Board.”
“I would like to see M¯aori health embedded in
the Board and in the College’s activities, with a
focus on reducing inequities,” she says.
College News
College election process to begin late April
The College will be holding its annual election for one Board member with
the call for nominations getting underway in late April.
Current elected Board member, Dr John
Wellingham, has come to the end of his
three-year term, and under the Rules of the
College, is eligible to stand for one more
term of three years.
Under the College Rules adopted in February
2012, the three elected Board members
can sit for up to two consecutive, three-year
terms before their term of office ends. To
make sure there is rotation on the Board,
transitional arrangements are in place
to ensure that only one Board member
completes a term each year, thereby ensuring
there is the blend of experience and new
blood on the Board.
In September, appointed Board member
David Moore will complete his second term
and will leave the Board. Under the College
Rules, the Board may appoint up to two
Board members who need not be Fellows.
This is to allow people with additional skills,
usually in business, to assist the Board in its
deliberations.
Those eligible to vote in the election will
be Distinguished Fellows, Fellows, Members,
subscription paying Retired Members, Life
Members and some Honorary Members.
No member’s individual vote can be
identified through the system; only the fact
that they have voted.
As for the past two years, voting will be
carried out electronically using a system
called Simply Voting, a system designed for
the likes of associations and membership
organisations. People who have no electronic
access, or would prefer to vote by other
means, will be given other options.
The Rules of the College can be viewed
here with the information on elections
contained in Section 18 Board and Officers.
If you have questions about the election or
voting system, please contact elections@
rnzcgp.org.nz
Conference for General Practice
31 July - 2 August 2015
Quality Symposium
30 July 2015
Save the date
Claudelands, Hamilton
Register your interest now www.generalpractice.org.nz
ISSUE 41 : March 2015 : P9
College News
Conference for General Practice
Imagine: Inspire: Innovate – is your finger on the pulse of
primary care changes?
As a taste of what to expect at the conference, we’re delighted to announce three international keynote
speakers have been confirmed, including Dr Helen Bevan, (UK National Health Service); Dr Anne Hendry
(Joint Improvement Team, Scotland); and Dr Mike Allan (University of Alberta).
Dr Helen Bevan
Dr Anne Hendry
Professor Dr Mike Allan
Chief of Service, Transformation at the
National Health Service (NHS) Institute for
Innovation and Improvement
National Clinical Lead for the Integrated
Care, Joint Improvement Team in Scotland
Director of Evidence-Based Medicine,
Department of Family Medicine, University
of Alberta
In 2008, Dr Bevan was named one of the 60
most influential people in the history of the
NHS and as one of the top 10 NHS opinion
formers. Be prepared to be challenged by
her presentation around change and leading
from the edge. We anticipate she will inspire
delegates to be ambitious in guiding general
practice to evolve and improve.
Dr Hendry’s work leading national
improvements and inspiring good practice
to improve outcomes for patients and
communities will help spark innovation at
both the Quality Symposium (30 July 2015)
and the Conference. A geriatrician and stroke
physician for 25 years, she combines her
quality improvement and professional roles
as Clinical Lead for the Reshaping Care for
Older People programme.
Professor Allan will share with us his
innovative developments in continuing
medical education and using evidence-based
medicine to optimise decision making. He is
at the forefront of envisaging how general
practice will grow and improve to meet
future needs. Mike writes a regular evidencebased update (called Tools for Practice) for
the Alberta College of Family Physicians and
Canadian Family Physician, and participates in
weekly medical podcasts on iTunes.
The Call for Abstracts closed on 28 February, and the programme committee is now finalising the programme of presentations,
panels and plenary sessions.
The Conference for General Practice and Quality Symposium will held 30 July – 2 August 2015 at Claudelands Events Centre
in Hamilton; for more information visit www.generalpractice.org.nz
P10 : ISSUE 41 : March 2015
Your time starts now!
GP, Visiting Medical Educator and beard abolitionist. Meet Auckland GP
Rachel Jones who has an eye on the Minister’s chair while sitting in our hot seat.
Rachel Jones, your time starts now!
Have you always lived in the
area?
Auckland has been my home for 13 years. It’s
a fabulous city; I love its vibrancy and diversity.
Currently we are home to some of the
nation’s most interesting beards...
Was medicine your first
choice of career?
Quick fire
Cheese or chocolate?
Your ‘go to’ movie…
Chocolate – lots of it.
Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Travel to future or past?
I’d love a Tiki Tour through past centuries.
A superhuman power?
Who would play you in a film of your life?
Renée Zellweger – my nickname at med
school was “Bridget”. I’ve since been
rescued!
Absolutely. I grew up on the BBC drama
Casualty. Each episode I would try to guess
the diagnosis - actually I think that show got
me through my med school finals.
Invisibility.
Favourite app?
Holidays – home or away?
I’m an app Luddite – phones are for
emergencies.
If not a doctor, what would you
be?
Beard or clean shaven?
Finally, the big fight. Would you rather
fight one horse-sized duck or a hundred
duck-sized horses?
Clean shaven – what’s with these beards?!
Don’t think I’d survive either!
Away – preferably Europe for the history
and architecture.
A politician – hopefully an honest one!
Why did you become a GP?
Why not another speciality?
I clicked on quite quickly that general practice
would offer more options and flexibility if
I wanted to have kids. I am now a mum of
three and have certainly found that I am able
to maintain a good work/life balance.
Why did you decide to become
a Visiting Medical Educator?
Karma. I wanted to give something back to
the training programme. When I decided
to return to medicine, after some time out
when the kids were little, people said it
would be an uphill struggle but the College
had a solid “can do” attitude. It made a huge
difference to my self-confidence.
I think being in a position to help facilitate a
registrar’s journey towards Fellowship is a real
privilege. Our profession needs competent,
happy doctors with a sense of vocation and
longevity in the workplace. I think how we
make sense of our early training experiences
can either make or break us.
Thinking ahead 10 years, what
do think will be the biggest
innovation in primary health
care – here or overseas?
And you would cook…
I’m no Nigella so it would have to be fish ‘n
chips with a bottle of bubbles.
Healthcare apps/virtual medicine. I don’t
think we should fear for our jobs just yet
but this type of innovation has the potential
to change the face of general practice
significantly.
The Minister of Health’s car
breaks down outside your
practice – what would you do?
Rush out to help and then ask, “Can I have
your job?”
Which three people, alive or
dead, would you invite around
for a meal?
Gandhi and Nelson Mandela for sheer
stamina and perseverance to their cause.
Diana, Princess of Wales – I proudly sported
a Lady Di haircut in the 1980s and would
love to know what really happened to her...
ISSUE 41 : March 2015 : P11