November 2018 Update
20 November 2018
November 2018 update
Business continuity
The 6.2 earthquake that rocked a large part of NZ last week is another timely reminder that we all need to be prepared and our disaster recovery and business continuity plans should be reviewed regularly.
If you had a change of staff in the last 12 months, have you updated the emergency contact details? How long is it since you changed your stored water, or checked the expiry dates on your food supplies?
Encourage your staff to have a family plan, and the Civil Defence website has plenty of good information to help families plan where they will meet, who will collect children from school or day care, and what they should include in their emergency supplies.
Domestic Violence - Victim Protection Act
The Domestic Violence – Victim Protection Act will come into effect on 1 April 2019. The purpose of the Act is to provide people affected by domestic violence a minimum entitlement to paid leave to assist with dealing with the effects.
The legislation will allow employees affected by domestic violence
- an additional 10 days leave per entitlement year (after the initial 6-month criteria)
- to request short term variation to their working arrangements for not longer than 2 months. Requests must be dealt with in the same way as any request under the Flexible Working arrangements
Domestic violence leave can be requested if the employee has been affected by domestic violence, regardless of how long ago the violence occurred, even if it is prior to the current employment.
Other recent articles
10 June 2026
Privacy updates and training
Due to recent changes, this month we wish to remind you of the update to the Privacy Act 2020 with a new principle called the Information Privacy Principle 3A (IPP3A). For practices’, the new principle means there are additional notification obligations when receiving personal information about a patient from a third party. Under IPP3A, if your practice receives patient information from another provider (such as a lab, hospital, specialist, pharmacy or ACC), you must take reasonable steps to let the patient know their information has been collected. This change applies to any information collected on or after 1st May 2026.
15 May 2026
Welcome Winter!
Winter is on the way, and with it usually comes the usual run of coughs, colds, and other bugs. Most practices will already have their usual measures in place but now is a good time to reinforce the basics and lead by example, particularly when it comes to staying home if you’re unwell. It is also a good time to check that expectations around leave, sick leave and wellbeing are clear heading into winter.
16 April 2026
Easing fuel and living-cost pressures, in practice
While we cannot control the wider economic environment, making clear, practical decisions in response to the current economic pressures can ease the load on our practice and our staff. Rising fuel prices and the broader cost-of-living pressure are not only having financial implications, they are also impacting how we feel about normal day-to-day ‘necessities’, which may be affecting stress levels and causing rising anxiety for some. It is important to focus on what we can change – how we can make small adjustments to support staff, reduce avoidable stress and keep the practice functioning well. own.
Join other practices already using HealthyPractice.
Register now