O’Connor says new regulations will benefit rural areas
Associate Health Minister Damien O’Connor today said new standing order regulations will provide an important basis for
timely health services in rural areas.
Standing orders allow nurses and some other healthcare workers to be given the delegation to supply and administer
certain medicines.
“I am confident the standing orders will be welcomed in rural New Zealand,” Mr O’Connor said.
Mr O’Connor said often the only health professional on the spot in rural areas were nurses who needed to take urgent
action. “The nearest doctor could be several hours drive away.”
“The standing orders will therefore be of value for rural practitioners and nurses,“ said Mr O’Connor. “The new
regulations provide another example of this Government responding to the needs of rural health.”
Many rural health professionals had used a form of standing orders in the past because of the importance of attending to
medical emergencies quickly, but the application varied because of a lack of clarity over whether they were legally
permissible under the Medicines Act 1981, he said.
“Now there will be a clear legal framework and greater consistency in the administration of medicines.”
Regulations will be made under the Medicines Act to specify the basis on which standing orders can be issued, including
the level of competency and training required and the circumstances under which the order can be administered.