wcpt congress: event of a lifetime - World Confederation for Physical ...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Members express their views
Embracing integration
I read with interest the latest editorial
commenting on the projected changes
to the health workforce, and the direction
of the Heath Workforce NZ service
reviews. Finding more effective ways
of utilising the available health workforce
to cater for burgeoning need is
a worldwide challenge. A recent WHO
report (2010) recognises interprofessional
collaboration as an important
factor in managing the global health
workforce crisis, resulting in stronger
health systems and improved health
outcomes. Yet how many of us have
a clear understanding of just what
“interprofessional collaboration”
actually means?
Physiotherapists have always
been innovative and worked
well alongside other professions.
As the editor noted, the
challenge now is to “embrace
the integrated approach” and
adapt to both the challenges
and benefits to be gained from
collaborative working.
The recent opening of the National
Centre for Interprofessional Education
and Collaborative Practice at AUT
University demonstrates the commitment
to embedding collaborative training
into undergraduate programmes.
However, it is unknown what happens
when these newly trained colleagues
enter a workforce untrained in collaborative
skills and where professional
patch guarding has too often been
the norm.
To explore this further, I am currently
undertaking a PhD qualitative
study into collaborative practices in
community-based teams, with the aim
of exploring how community-based
health care workers view collaborative
practice and how they work together.
Interprofessional collaboration and
devolving health services into the
community have been identified as
the way of health care in the future.
By exploring current practices I hope
to add knowledge that can inform future
service provision, team functioning
and training.
Physiotherapists have always been
innovative and worked well alongside
other professions. As the editor noted,
the challenge now is to “embrace the
integrated approach” and adapt to
both the challenges and benefits to
be gained from collaborative working.
Pauline Penney MPNZ
Enthusiastic UK fundraiser
for Christchurch
The following letter was published in
Frontline, the newsletter for the (UK)
Chartered Society of Physiotherapists,
on 20 July. Reproduced with permission
from Frontline.
I would like to thank Alison Taylor,
Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist,
Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon
for a tremendous effort in fundraising
for the Red Cross Christchurch
Earthquake Appeal.
Alison is a New Zealand trained
physiotherapist who I met some years
ago in Invercargill, NZ. Following our
devastating earthquake she started
baking “Quake Cakes”; which she
sold at work and raised an astounding
£1300.44.
The earthquake has had a profound
effect on us all here in Christchurch
with most of us knowing people who
lost family and friends on February
22nd. Thankfully our hospitals
were largely undamaged, however
the service infrastructure of many
parts of Christchurch was severely
damaged and at Burwood Hospital
staff and visitors were required to use
“portaloos” for 3 months after the
February Quake. Travelling around
the city was challenging initially as
many roads were in need of repair
and removal of liquefaction. Our city
centre is slowly being demolished in
preparation for rebuilding and there
are a large number of internet sites
with photos of central Christchurch
before and after the quakes.
We have lost our Rugby World
Cup games and our beloved
Cathedral is in ruins but the
city is open to visitors and
Christchurch is still a great
place to start a tour of New
Zealand or to come and work.
Our physiotherapists have proved resilient
through these past months, many
have damaged houses and some have
had to move. We have since welcomed
some new therapists to Christchurch -
after the quake our hospitals returned
to “business as normal” as soon
as possible.
A large part of Christchurch is undamaged
and those of us living in the
western suburbs are very grateful that
life is relatively normal. We have lost
our Rugby World Cup games and our
beloved Cathedral is in ruins but the
city is open to visitors and Christchurch
is still a great place to start a tour of
New Zealand or to come and work.
A big thank you to Alison and all her
colleagues at Hinchingbrooke.
Liz Wilkinson MPNZ
Clinical Manager Physiotherapy
Burwood Hospital, Christchurch,
New Zealand
24 | PHYSIO MATTERS AUGUST 2011