Innovative nursing leadership in youth health

Along with introducing the New Zealand Primary Health Care Strategy the Ministry of Health funded 11 primary health care nursing innovation projects for three years. One of these was sited in the Hutt Valley District Health Board region at what was originally known as the Hutt Valley Youth Service and later named the Vibe service. The funding supported employment of a clinical nurse leader who later, during the course of the project, qualified as a Nurse Practitioner (NP). The dynamic leadership provided by the nurse extended beyond service boundaries benefiting policy decision making throughout the District Health Board region and contributing to youth health and service development nationally. In return for fostering such leadership Vibe gained access to new dimensions of youth health care. It became apparent that high calibre clinical leadership, a major component of the NP scope of practice in primary health care, improves outcomes for the clientele, increases satisfaction for the team members and provides a model for potential NPs wherever they are situated.