Monday Pānui 12 October 2026

In today’s Pānui	Bowel screening age extension begins Updated Patient Enrolment Form Getting Ready for Insulin Study Day Training Opportunity GP-Led Alcohol and Drug Training
Bowel screening age extension begins	The National Bowel Screening Programme has commenced the next phase of the age extension programme. Eight Health NZ districts are introducing the lower starting age of 56: Waitematā, Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Tairāwhiti, Wairarapa, West Coast and South Canterbury. Work is progressing to finalise implementation plans for the remaining districts. Expanding eligibility will enable more than 200,000 additional people to access bowel screening over the next two to three years once the rollout is completed. Over the next 25 years, this change is expected to prevent 638 additional cancers and save 522 additional lives. People aged 56 or 57 will receive a free bowel screening kit in the mail, or be contacted by a local provider, around the time of their next birthday, once the lower age is introduced in their district. Once part of the programme, people are sent a bowel screening kit every two years until they turn 75. How general practice can support age extension Changes to your PMS will be made to reflect the new bowel screening age range. Updated bowel screening resources will be available to you at no charge. When seeing patients, please take the opportunity to: confirm their ethnicity and contact details are recorded accurately check whether eligible patients have completed their two-yearly bowel screening - if not, you can order a kit through your PMS, by emailing info@bowelscreening.health.nz or by calling 0800 924 432 you can also request kits for patients who have lost, damaged, or expired kits using the contact details above. The NBSP appreciates your continued support of the bowel screening programme and the implementation of age extension. FYI for Medtech practices – the Procon Patient Dashboard was updated on 1 October with the age extension criteria. The dashboard will inform the user when they are eligible to request the kit based on this criteria: https://www.healthnz.govt.nz/health-topics/keeping-healthy/cancer-screening/bowel-screening/check-if-youre-eligible
Updated Patient Enrolment Form	Auckland PHO has developed an updated Patient Enrolment Form that meets the National Enrolment Service (NES) enrolment rules. The updated forms will be made available to practices over the coming week. It is important that all practices use the updated form, as the fields have been designed to align with Practice Management System (PMS) requirements and enrolment audit protocols. We understand that some practices may wish to add additional fields to suit their individual needs. This is absolutely fine; however, please ensure that none of the existing fields are removed, as all fields are required to support enrolment compliance and data integrity. If your practice would like copies of the updated form before they are circulated, please contact Shannon at Shannon@aucklandpho.co.nz. Thank you for your support in ensuring our enrolment processes remain consistent, accurate and compliant.
Getting Ready for Insulin Study Day	Procare is holding a ‘Getting Ready for Insulin’ study day for Practice Nurses and has additional spaces available for nurses who are interested in attending. The study day aims to build Practice Nurses’ knowledge and confidence in initiating and titrating insulin for people living with Type 2 Diabetes. The programme will include presentations from the Waitematā Diabetes Clinic’s diabetes nurse specialist and dietitians, as well as discussions on patient engagement and the challenges of caring for people with long-term conditions. This is a great opportunity for Practice Nurses who want to strengthen their diabetes knowledge, develop their clinical skills and gain the confidence to run nurse-led diabetes clinics. Study day details Date: Friday 27 November 2026 Time: 9.00am–4.00pm (7 hours CME) Venue: Health New Lynn Cost: $50 to cover venue hire and catering. Auckland PHO will cover the cost of the course. Catering: Lunch provided Prerequisite: Nurses must complete the online NZSSD National Diabetes Knowledge Programme before attending. You can access the programme here. Interested in attending? To book your place or find out more, please contact Dawn at Dawn@aucklandpho.co.nz by Wednesday 14 October 2026. With additional spaces available, this is a valuable opportunity to invest in your professional development and build confidence in supporting people living with Type 2 Diabetes.
Training Opportunity GP-Led Alcohol and Drug Training	GP-Led Māori Alcohol and Drug TrainingThursday 15 October I 6.30 - 8.00pmRegister here

Barbara Stevens | Tumu Whakarae / CEO