2024 Updates

2024 Updates

In This Section

December 2024

Current Topic	Change
Managing and Reporting Incidents	A template for an incident and adverse event reporting register has been added to the resources.
Death Notification	Policy updated to reflect Te Whatu Ora's guidance that from 15 December 2024, any medical practitioner or nurse practitioner submitting a Medical Certificate Cause of Death also needs to submit a Preliminary Notification of Death form to the Registrar-General.
Clinical Records	Policy updated to reflect RNZCGP best practice advice. Option to include acknowledgement of use of AI Scribe tools.
End-of-life Care	Policy updated to include extra external resources. Broadened to better cover other end-of-life considerations, and equity.
Referrals	Information on documenting referral information and links to relevant policies has been added.
Notifying Patients of Results	Policy updated to specify process around following-up patients who are hard to contact with results.

November 2024

Current Topic	Change
Using this GPDocs Site	New content to help a new key contact and other staff use GPDocs. Overview explaining: how to review polices, and how we update them the key contact's role in maintaining your GPDocs site FAQs how to prepare for an assessment.
Code of Conduct	Sections updated to improve layout and readability
Disciplinary Process	Minor changes to wording to improve clarity Link added to resource
Recruitment and Vetting	Recruitment and Vetting and Recruitment Procedure policies combined into one page A temporary safety checking section has been added until a full safety checking policy is released
Reimbursement	Sections updated to improve layout and readability
Results and Clinical Correspondence	Language updated to better clarify responsibilities around clinical correspondence Audit section added
Results Management Procedure	Changes to wording to reduce ambiguities around responsibilities of test results Copying other clinicians into test results section added
Urgent Tests	Page edited to better align with Te Whatu Ora guidelines
Medical Equipment	More information added to the section on electrical equipment, to align with updated guidance provided by RNZCGP.

October 2024

Current Topic	Change
Cold Chain Management	Recent Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora guidance added: Continuous temperature monitoring must be in place. An ongoing annual fridge service plan must be in place, and the fridge must be in good working order.
Generative AI	New policy regarding the safe use of generative artificial intelligence in general practice. Policy has been written following current best-practice guidelines, however we acknowledge that this is a rapidly-evolving area and this policy is likely to be regularly updated. Practices should check the advisory and provide the requested information to complete the policy.
Induction and Orientation	Locum pre-start checklist added Induction checklist document templates added Minor changes to induction checklists

September 2024

Current Topic	Change
Medical Equipment	Removed reference to the 2018 version of AS/NZ:3003, in line with the updates made to Foundation.
Confidentiality	Sections updated to improve layout and readability. Language and content has been revised for clarity.
Complaints	Edited to emphasise accessibility and and learning opportunities. Added information on complaints process timeframes.
Complaints Procedure	Page has been rewritten to clarify obligations and timeframes. Procedure has been updated to make it easier to follow.
Prescriptions Controlled Drug Prescriptions Repeat Prescriptions Drug Misuse	MCNZ Good Prescribing Practice document removed. Overarching guidance document changed to Guidelines for safe and quality prescribing practice, developed by seven regulatory authorities, including the Medical Council of New Zealand, Nurses Council of New Zealand, and Pharmacy Council of New Zealand. Terminology changed from "prescribing clinician" to "prescriber". Definition added to "prescriber". Added "Each prescriber must meet the standards from their relevant professional body." Dropdown added with links to the standards that regulate prescribers.
Clinical Records	Clinical records audit section removed due to changes in CPD requirements. RNZCGP audit forms moved to a policy note and changed to an optional requirement.
Standing Orders	Standing Orders (SO) Authorisation Register template updated and renamed.

August 2024

Current Topic	Change
Māori Health Equity	Language and content updated to better reflect the intention to honour te Tiriti, and to align with the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2007. Page restructured with new sections: Mana whenua, Community relationships, Equitable outcomes. Opportunities to add statements that best embody your practice's commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi, and that reflect where you are in your journey to strengthen community relationships and improve Māori health equity.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi	Language and content updated to better reflect the intention to honour te Tiriti, and to align with the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2007.
Complaints Procedure	Complaints timeframes updated for clarity and to improve understanding. Additional updates will be rolled out to this page after our review is complete.
Achieving Equity	Policy wording amended to make statements clearer.
Equity Module Training (Cornerstone)	Links added to new training resources.

July 2024

Current Topic	Change
Patient Rights	Page edited to improve layout, clarity and readability.
Informed Consent	Page restructured and edited for clarity. Wording improved to reflect the need to make information accessible to patients. New section, shared decision making, added.
Interpreter Services	Page edited for clarity.
Open Disclosure	Page updated for clarity and consistency. Alignment with MCNZ recommendations checked and updated.
Support People, Chaperones and Observers	Page updated for clarity and consistency. Alignment with MCNZ recommendations checked and updated.
Te Reo Māori and Tikanga	Policy section rewritten to incorporate te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations and te reo Māori as an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand. Added sentence about encouraging normalisation of Tikanga practices. Resource list updated. Taonga and Karakia added to Tikanga guidelines. Resources added for more information. Sentence added that Tikanga is considered best practice and can be used for all ethnicities.

June 2024

Current Topic	Change
Privacy	Page has been edited to improve layout, clarity and readability.
Disclosing Patient Information	Policy revised to be more thorough and align more clearly with legislation. Links to relevant sources and drop-downs with clarifying information have been added.
Patient Access to Records	Policy revised to be more thorough and align more clearly with legislation. Links to relevant sources and drop-downs with clarifying information have been added.
Physical Privacy	Page, previously Environmental Privacy, renamed to better align with RNZCGP indicator 2.5, and edited for clarity.
Safeguarding Patient Information	Page renamed from Patient Information Privacy Updated to improve readability, and to include additional information aligning it with the requirements of the Health Information Privacy Code.
Privacy Breaches	Page updated to improve readability Additional information aligning it with the requirements of the Health Information Privacy Code.
IT Security	Page edited and restructured. Now now includes Remote Working (previously a separate page). Resources added to Cyber Incidents
Remote Access	Page removed. Content incorporated into updated IT Security page.
Induction and Orientation	Clinical Team, and Locum Induction checklists updated to include all policies from the Prescriptions section (not just Standing Orders).

May 2024

Current Topic	Change
Bias	Policy updated with clearer explanations and definitions. A statement of commitment to anti-racism has been added as per Ministry of Health recommendation. Definitions added to better explain key terms.
Cultural Safety	The policy statement has been updated to be clearer and simpler to understand.
Enrolment	Policy section revised to include links to enrolment guidelines and for clarity. Information on re-enrolment has been added. Procedure for new patient enrolment revised for clarity and restructured.
New Patient Records	Page edited for clarity.
Transferring Patient Records	Page edited for clarity.
Telehealth	Page edited and reorganised for clarity. New headings for Privacy and confidentiality, and Equity, have been added. Tips for carrying out the consultation restructured into drop-boxes.
Results and Clinical Correspondence	Link to Te Whatu Ora \| Health New Zealand guidance, Transfer of Care and Test Results Responsibility added. The document contains guiding principles for responsibilities and the safe follow up of test results.
Informed Consent	Drop-box for situations that require written consent updated to include guidance from RNZCGP Indicator 1.2, which includes vaccinations given in an off-site situation.

April 2024

Current Topic	Change
Immunisation	Page reworked to better cover how patients are recalled, how auditing, clinical governance, and equity are addressed, and how potential disruptions to the immunisation recall procedure are managed. The structure is based on our new Screening and Recall page.
Immunisation Procedure	All information related to the immunisation procedure, such as who administers vaccines, has been moved to this page from Immunisation and edited for clarity. Information on recalling patients for vaccinations has been moved to Immunisation.
Developing Equity in Our Team	Policy edited to make key concepts clearer and improve understanding. Language amended to reflect the fact that not everyone needs to be "trained" to be aware of inequity – some team members may have personal experience.
Access (Cornerstone only)	Policy edited and reworded to more clearly explain the concept of access.

March 2024

Current Topic	Change
Prescriptions and Controlled Drug Prescriptions	Drop-box legal requirements of an ePrescription updated to remove signature requirement and add a link to Te Whatu Ora information about signature exempt prescriptions.
Death Notification	Page edited for clarity. Admin information has been moved to a checklist that practices can amend with their own procedure.
Remote Working	This page, previously called Working from Home, has been changed to recognise that working may take place in other locations. Wording around obligations and legal entitlements when working from home updated for clarity. Health and Safety section added to more clearly state the practice's obligations for employees working remotely. Workstation setup section has been replaced with a link to Worksafe's guidance.
Patient Data	Page rewritten to include more information on privacy and the collection of quantitative data. Information about collecting gender and sex data has been added. Information about collecting ethnicity data has been moved to a drop-box.
Equity Audits	Drop-boxes explaining quantitative and qualitative data added. Sentence linking audits to clinical governance added. Section on audit priorities updated with up-to-date links to relevant information.

February 2024

Current Topic	Change
Achieving Equity	This page has been updated to include more information about the rationale for equity in health care.
Collaboration and Partnership	This page replaces Representation at the Practice. It has been reworked to enable practices to better explain how they collaborate and partner with others, and to include patient engagement.
Diversity	This page has been rewritten with a broader definition of diversity and to include both visible and invisible diversity. Practices can give more information about the diversity within their population and any specific initiatives or services they have for these groups.
About Equity in Healthcare	Page deleted as Information from this page has been merged with the updated Achieving Equity page, to make it more visible to all practices (not only Cornerstone).
Infusions	This page has been updated rewritten for clarity and to include more links to relevant pages and resources on this topic. Administrative information has been removed.
Repeat Prescriptions	Underlying page restructured slightly to give more flexibility for changing the repeat prescribing process. Key details added into a drop box. Specific timeframe for reviews following urgent repeat requests removed and replaced with more flexible wording.
Administration	All pages in the administration section have now been removed: Banking Mail and Couriers Contact List Practice Administration Routines Practice Building and Medical Equipment Purchasing Stationery and Supplies
Immunisation	Changed sentence stating that immunisation recalls and attendances are audited every month to monitored by the clinical governance team.

January 2024

Current Topic	Change
Screening and Recall	This section has been significantly reworked to take into account recent changes in screening services under the National Screening Unit: Page restructured to better align with Foundation requirements, and to provide high-level guidance for processes. New links to external, up-to-date resources. Sub pages (Bowel, Breast, and Cervical Screening) laid out consistently to improve readability. Information on clinical governance and equity added. Links to antenatal and newborn screening services moved into the body text. Key information from the Opportunistic Screening page been added to this page.
Bowel Screening	This is a new page outlining the Bowel Screening programme. Links to HealthPathways and the Te Whatu Ora \| Health New Zealand National Bowel Screening Programme Primary Care Guide give more detail for practices.
Breast Screening	Page renamed and updated to reflect changes in processes at a national level.
Cervical Screening	Terminology updated. Process rewritten with more links to up-to-date external guidance and resources
Opportunistic Screening	This page has been deleted as key information has been merged with the main Screening and Recall page.
Smoking Cessation	Page being removed as smoking cessation can form part of opportunistic or routine screening.
Well Child Tamariki Ora Programme	This page has been deleted as childhood vaccinations are covered by the National Immunisation Schedule, and the Well Child Programme is most often managed externally to general practice.
Foundation Training	Updated Te Tiriti o Waitangi training to reflect changes to Foundation guidance. Changed Requirement field to "The type of training or other activities may vary depending on the cultural context/specifics of the practice and individual team members."