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November 2009 

Addictions Forum a first for New Zealand nurses.

The topic of addictions was high on the agenda at the inaugural Nursing Education Forum held at Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) on 12-13 November 2009.

Associate Minister of Education, the Hon. Heather Roy, delivered the opening address and spoke about the increasing recognition of the problems facing nurses and the importance of increasing understanding in the area of dual diagnosis within the health workforce.

“It is becoming increasingly known that illegal drugs are consumed in large quantities by those with serious psychiatric conditions and they are, of course, the last people who should be taking them. They are not alone in their drug abuse but they are of particular concern.”

Hosted in Wellington by WelTec, a national provider of addictions training, the Forum focused on the issue of addictions with leading experts from Australasia presenting their latest findings to New Zealand nurses.

The forum is the first in what is hoped to be a series of continuing forums for nursing and allied health professionals. Representatives from the health, community and education sector present at the event advocated the need for nurses to have greater access to specialist training in addictions.

With such a growing demand in the sector, the need for more skilled addiction specialists is clear. Nurses, often right at the coal face, understand this need more than most. According to some reports, up to 75%* of adult presentations at Emergency Departments on weekends are alcohol-related with over 1000 alcohol deaths per year. Nurses working within emergency services, public and private health are afforded a behind the scenes glimpse into a very real issue within New Zealand communities.

WelTec Executive Dean and Member of the New Zealand Nursing Council, Julia Hennessy, says the forum is an important step towards supporting nurses.

"It is important that nurses working with those with addictions have access to the right tools and strategies to cope with the demands placed upon them. The Nursing Education Forum and the training options in addictions provided by WelTec are a good place to start."

Image: Dr Linda Sissons (Left), Hon. Heather Roy (Middle) and Julia Hennessy (Right).
Notes: The statistics quoted can be found at www.alcoholaction.co.nz in the publication Ten things the Alcohol Industry Won’t Tell You About Alcohol. The content was also presented at the National Addiction Conference – Cutting Edge, September 2009.
* Ten Things the Alcohol Industry Won’t Tell You About Alcohol, 2009: www.alcoholaction.co.nz/
* Connor J, Broad J, Rehm J, Vander Hoorn S, Jackson R. The burden of death, disease and disability due to alcohol in New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal 15 April 2005;118(1213): http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/