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A pre-diabetes education programme successfully preventing diabetes in the community is one initiative that helped lead to Palmerston North clinical nurse specialist and diabetes prescriber Tracey McNeur being nominated as a nursing hero.

MidCentral District Health Board describes Tracey McNeur as an inspiring primary health care nurse who selflessly goes ‘above and beyond’ to ‘be the change she wants to see’.

McNeur is employed by Kauri HealthCare, an integrated family health centre in Palmerston North, as a clinical nurse specialist in long-term conditions and is a strong component of the saying, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’. She is an authorised diabetes prescriber and is currently completing her master’s degree.

Kauri HealthCare GP and partner Dr Esther Willis says the pre-diabetes education programme she initiated illustrates McNeur’s commitment to quality improvement.

“This is now an integral part of care within Kauri HealthCare.

To date, none of the people who have gone through the prediabetes education programme have progressed to developing diabetes. All care is centred around patient needs and goals – I have no doubt this is a major contributing factor to the favourable health outcomes she achieves.”

McNeur has been involved with a number of practice and district-wide quality improvement initiatives since 2008.

At a district level, she is chair of the Long-Term Conditions District Group, chair of the Pre-Diabetes Working Party, a member of the Diabetes Partnership Group, and a member of the Map of Medicine Diabetes Collaborative Clinical Pathways.

At a practice level,she is involved with IFHC Practice Development Plans, Pre-Diabetes Programming, Diabetes Annual Review, and Diabetes Standing Orders.

Chiquita Hansen, MidCentral’s primary health care director of nursing and also the Central PHO’s chief executive, says McNeur has well-recognised leadership skills in chronic care management.

“Tracey is passionate about primary health care teams developing a proactive response to working with informed activated long-term conditions clients. She is cognisant of the value of teamwork and the benefits of offering individual and group consults to people with long-term conditions.

“Tracey has a high level of professional competence, excellent quality improvement knowledge, a real commitment to improving the patient experience, awareness of ethical and social issues inherent in health care and dedication to achieving improved health outcomes.”