Supporting nurses in the community
Flu vaccinations for city’s most vulnerable
Christchurch City Mission's Community Mental Health Nurse Eloise Clayton.
Influenza vaccinations are being offered to Christchurch City Mission clients this year, thanks to a collaboration between Pegasus Health and the Mission’s Community Mental Health Nurse.
Nurse Eloise Clayton started offering flu vaccinations to clients in May 2016 and, by the end of June, had vaccinated about 70 people, as well as City Mission staff.
“The flu vaccinations came about because in previous years a volunteer GP and nurse would come to the City Mission to vaccinate staff and clients, but only clients who were able to come in that day, or who were here for another reason, were able to be vaccinated,” Eloise says.
“Many of our clients have a higher risk of getting the flu because of homelessness, smoking, drinking and using drugs. I thought if I could do the vaccinations then they could be done at any time.”
Eloise had already formed a relationship with Pegasus Health, so she knew who to ask for help with funding. Pegasus offered 50 vaccinations and the City Mission provided another 200. Pegasus also loaned the City Mission a vaccine fridge and emergency kit, and assisted Eloise with training and certification.
Pegasus Health’s Director of Nursing Michael McIlhone says the collaboration has been a success.
“It’s not ‘you can’t do that’ – it’s ‘how can we do that?’ Eloise now has a professional support link and a number of people she can talk through issues with on a daily basis,” Michael says.
In February, Eloise highlighted that she didn’t have any General Practice experience, so Pegasus linked her with a practice in Ferrymead.
“She spent some time there and knows that if she has any questions, she can approach them for support,” Michael says.
Eloise says that while the uptake for flu vaccinations has been slower than she expected, the feedback so far has been positive. “Many clients have been in hospital with pneumonia and most have never had a flu vaccination. There were quite a few people who first declined but then accepted it. People have said that they are pretty stoked and feel cared about.”
Working autonomously, Eloise says it has been valuable having support from Pegasus Health.
“Pegasus is a great organisation. I’ve been really impressed with them and their willingness to work with other people in the community. It’s quite amazing what you can achieve when you work together.”
Support from Pegasus ‘means everything’
Aranui Community Trust Incorporated Society Neighbourhood Nurse Hannah Laughton.
With support from Pegasus Health, Hannah Laughton is well on her way to becoming a Nurse Practitioner.
Hannah is the Neighbourhood Nurse at the Aranui Community Trust Incorporated Society (ACTIS), a role she started in April 2015, after working for the Department of Corrections for 18 months.
She discussed her professional development goals with Pegasus Health’s Director of Nursing Michael McIlhone and was put in touch with Jenny Gardner from Canterbury District Health Board, through which she was able to obtain funding to study a Post Graduate Certificate in Primary Care at the University of Otago.
Thanks to Pegasus, Hannah will be attending the 2016 South General Practice Conference and Medical Exhibition, which will give her the opportunity to connect with other health professionals and build her knowledge.
To link her with her peers, Pegasus got Hannah involved with their small group meetings. The group of practice nurses meet monthly, after reviewing their pre-reading text, to discuss topics of interest such as childhood obesity, female hormones and endometriosis.
As a result of being connected with Pegasus Health, Hannah was able to meet with Donna Hahn and Rebecca Muir from the Canterbury Clinical Network. This led to Hannah attending the monthly Model of Collaborative Care Advancement meetings, involving care co-ordinators and nurses from throughout Christchurch.
Pegasus Health’s Nursing Development Coordinator Di Bos has also assisted Hannah with her practice portfolio for the Nursing Council as part of her Professional Development and Recognition Programme.
“With support from Pegasus Health and the Aranui Community Trust I’m able to develop professionally and become the best nurse that I can be. Pegasus is a huge organisation that can connect things and open doors or show me doors I can open. It makes me feel like I’m part of something bigger.”