Podcast appearances and mentions of ruth hill

Health is a perenial issue for governments, and there will be plenty of interest in how Thursday's budget addresses that. Ruth Hill reports on this year's expectations for health.

10,000 New Zealanders may have lost vision - sometimes permanently - due to toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by a parasite spread by cats. Otago University researchers estimate 40-thousand people are affected by ocular toxoplasmosis - one in four seriously - but their efforts to develop new treatments are being hampered by lack of funding. Ruth Hill reports.

Top emergency department doctors say violence is being normalised in understaffed EDs, forcing experienced staff to quit. Ruth Hill reports.

REBT for Pain Management and Exercise - Counselling Skills Feedback In Episode 338 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly take us through this week's three topics: Firstly, in ‘Ethical, Sustainable Practice', we explore the essential and sensitive topic of supporting suicidal clients – discussing how therapists can respond ethically and effectively, including risk assessment and safety planning. Then in ‘Practice Matters', Rory speaks with Ruth Hill about her lecture on REBT for pain management and exercise – blending cognitive therapy with physical wellbeing to support client recovery. And lastly, in ‘Student Services', Rory and Ken discuss the importance of receiving and using counselling skills feedback – helping you get the most from peer observations and strengthen your skills in training. Supporting Suicidal Clients [starts at 03:29 mins] In this section, Rory and Ken discuss the sensitive but important issue of supporting suicidal clients, and how to respond appropriately in therapy. Key points discussed include: Suicidal ideation can range from passing thoughts to detailed planning. All expressions should be taken seriously. Risk factors include mental health diagnoses (e.g. depression, bipolar disorder), substance abuse, previous attempts, bereavement, and neurodivergence (particularly autism). Warning signs may present as hopelessness, withdrawal, giving away possessions, or even sudden mood improvements. Therapists should feel confident in: Asking direct, nonjudgmental questions Assessing risk through clarity on plans and means Creating collaborative safety plans with clients Intervention may include providing helpline details, referring to a GP, or involving other services – guided by your therapeutic contract. Documentation, supervision, and appropriate CPD are all essential to ensure ethical and competent practice. REBT for Pain Management and Exercise [starts at 42:15 mins] In this week's ‘Practice Matters', Rory speaks with Ruth Hill about her lecture on REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy), and how it can be used to support pain management and exercise. The key points of this conversation include: REBT explores irrational beliefs and helps clients reframe unhelpful thoughts (e.g. “I can't cope with this pain” becomes “I don't want this pain, but I can cope with it”). Beliefs around pain often increase suffering and decrease motivation. Therapists can help clients notice and challenge cognitive distortions like catastrophising, black-and-white thinking, and mind-reading. Avoidance and guarding behaviour can worsen pain and increase deconditioning. Exercise can be reintroduced gently and collaboratively. Therapists should explore client history around movement – school PE experiences, family values, or previous injuries can shape limiting beliefs. Exercise doesn't have to mean running a marathon – it could mean stretching, walking, or visualising movement to reconnect mind and body. Counselling Skills Feedback [starts at 01:05:57 mins] In this section, Rory and Ken explore how to receive and use feedback on counselling skills, a vital part of developing as a student practitioner. Key points include: In triad skills sessions, the “client” should give feedback first, followed by the observer. Keep feedback constructive – use statements like “I wonder what might have happened if…” instead of criticism. Use observation forms to stay focused – reflect on specific skills such as silence, open questions, or paraphrasing. Sandwich suggestions between two pieces of positive feedback. Not all feedback is right – look for consistent patterns before making major changes. Recording practice sessions can help spot what worked well and what could be improved. Feedback isn't just about ticking boxes – it's about deepening empathy, timing,

Child health experts say a vaccine that's available in about 40 other countries could see an 80 percent drop here in the number of babies who end up in hospital with a potentially deadly lung infection. Ruth Hill explains.

About 5000 senior doctors are walking off the job on Thursday for an unprecedented 24-hour strike from 1201am until 1159pm Friday in protest at their stalled pay talks. Ruth Hill reports.

Some Māori and Pacific healthcare providers say they're losing money on vital immunisation services for high-need communities due to funding shortfalls. Ruth Hill explains.

Five months after signing a million-dollar contract to set up its own childhood immunisation service, Whānau Āwhina Plunket has vaccinated fewer than 100 babies. Ruth Hill reports.

Wait times for urgent, non-urgent and surveillance colonoscopies all grew last year after Health New Zealand failed to keep up with demand. Ruth Hill reports.

An Upper Hutt man with cerebral palsy says his specialist has been unable to diagnose the cause of his debilitating foot pain because he can't order the diagnostic scans he needs. Ruth Hill reports.

One in three people are waiting over two weeks for a GP appointment, while more than one in six wait three or four weeks - or even longer, according to RNZ's Reid Research poll. The Health Minister wants to bring in targets for primary care wait times - but doctors say that shouldn't be the only measure of good care. Ruth Hill reports.

A senior Northland doctor is frustrated that the Government is spending millions of dollars outsourcing operations to the private sector when he says the public system could have helped many more patients with that money. Ruth Hill reports.

A top medical graduate who can't find a job in a hospital says Health NZ needs to do more to ensure locally trained doctors are not being lost to the system. Ruth Hill reports.

Doctors are warning that giving GPs the task of doing more on-the-job training for new graduates and foreign medics will load more pressure on primary care. Ruth Hill reports.

The announcement by the Health Minister was part of a raft of changes for the public health system. Alongside reinstating the board, Minister Simeon Brown slammed Health NZ for poor leadership - and outlined a plan to partner with the private sector. Ruth Hill reports.

The burgeoning private healthcare industry claims its current building boom will take pressure off the public system. Ruth Hill reports.

One Taranaki family doctor says his long-time patients are willing to pay what it costs to keep the practice open, at least for now. Ruth Hill reports.

The abrupt resignation of the Director-General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati leaves the health system in a "perilous" position, fear doctors and health experts. Dr Sarfati, the Government's top health advisor and head of the Health Ministry, is the third health boss to tap out within a week and less than a month after new Health Minister Simeon Brown took charge. Ruth Hill reports.

A young Ōpōtiki couple feel "lucky" that an obstetrician happened to be on duty at Whakatāne Hospital last month when they needed an emergency caesarean to save their baby's life. Ruth Hill reports.

Health NZ has launched a global search for a new chief executive to lead the embattled agency with the sudden resignation today of founding CEO Fepulea'i Margie Apa. However, frontline health workers are skeptical that installing new leadership can make any difference at all to a system that's grappling with massive workforce shortages, spiralling deficits and industrial unrest - not forgetting suffering patients struggling to get help. Ruth Hill reports.

Thousands of commuters in Lower Hutt are caught up in congestion that's lasted hours after a crash on the Wainuiomata Hill Road this morning. It's the only road in and out of the valley that's home to more than 20,000 people. Ruth Hill spoke to Lisa Owen.

Hundreds of Manawatu residents at higher risk of developing bowel cancer have been told they won't get their regular check-up colonoscopies for at least six months. Te Whatu Ora MidCentral said it's prioritising patients with symptoms and those in the National Bowel Screening programme - but doctors and advocates warn there's a risk some people will fall between the gaps. Ruth Hill reports.

Midwives in the eastern Bay of Plenty say pregnant women and their babies will be at serious risk of harm with the collapse of obstetric services at Whakatane Hospital. Ruth Hill reports.

A highly successful immunisation programme for pregnant Māori and Pasifika and their babies in South Auckland had its funding cut earlier this year - even as warnings sounded of the looming whooping cough epidemic. Ruth Hill reports.

Front-line health workers in Northland are being asked to "fill in" on reception to let overworked admin staff take toilet breaks. Ruth Hill reports.

A psychiatrist fears a tragedy is waiting to happen with dozens of potentially dangerous or at-risk mental health patients left with no clinician directly overseeing their care. Ruth Hill reports.

Pharmac's decision to switch the brand of estrogen patches it funds has prompted a massive backlash from women who say it doesn't work for them. More than 1000 people have already signed an online petition calling the Government to keep funding Estrodot to treat symptoms of menopause. Ruth Hill reports.

The Labour Party is blaming the Government's new wait time targets for so many patients being unable to get onto a waiting list for hospital treatment. It follows GPs saying patients who desperately need hospital treatment are increasingly not even making it onto waiting lists. But some patients there's nothing new about this kind of rationing, Ruth Hill reports.

GPs say patients who desperately need hospital treatment are increasingly not even making it onto waiting lists. Ruth Hill reports.

Health services are on high alert with the official declaration of a whooping cough epidemic today. It comes as the most recent data shows vaccination rates for babies are woefully low - especially for Maori and Pasifika. Ruth Hill reports.

Mental health workers say prison inmates who are suicidal, psychotic or suffering other serious psychological problems will lose support when their contracts end next year. Ruth Hill reports.

Health officials warned the Government that its targets for emergency department and elective surgery wait times were unlikely to be met without a big cash injection. Ruth Hill reports.

An innovative iwi-based approach to tackling type 2 diabetes is having huge success in Tairawhiti, with participants cutting down on medication or even reversing the disease completely. Ruth Hill reports.

Health New Zealand's top mental health clinician says the new system for police to hand over people in mental crisis will be safer. Ruth Hill reports.

Senior doctors say Health NZ's proposal to cut some chief clinical roles is "a declaration of war" on rural and regional hospitals. Ruth Hill reports.

Some pharmacies have been charging people with diabetes for their free glucose monitors which have been fully government funded since the first of October. Ruth Hill reports.

No-one has yet been charged over the death of "Baby Ru" in Lower Hutt one ago year today. He was the victim of a brutal assault that shattered his tiny skull. The police in Wellington still have six full-time investigators working on the case, and insist they are zeroing in on the person - or persons - responsible. Ruth Hill reports.

A woman who developed a debilitating chronic pain condition after breaking her foot says she's been stuck between ACC and the public system, with neither one taking responsibility for her rehabilitation. While ACC has now accepted her condition was caused by her injury, she's frustrated that it's taken three years to get a referral to a specialist pain service. Ruth Hill reports.

Public health experts fear critical programmes for disease prevention and detection could be lost or downgraded with looming budget cuts at the National Public Health Service. Ruth Hill reports.

The number of transgender children and young teens prescribed puberty blockers has dropped, after increasing dramatically in the last decade. Ruth Hill reports.

Pain specialists say a huge lack of understanding, even within the medical profession, means patients are missing out on potentially life-changing treatment. Ruth Hill reports.

People suffering chronic pain, including children and teenagers, are missing out on treatment due to a lack of services in many regions, putting their recovery at risk. Ruth Hill reports.

Nurses working in chronically short-staffed hospitals say staff who go on leave, get sick or quit are often not replaced. Health New Zealand insists recruitment has continued while it's been revising its budgets to find millions of dollars in savings - but frontline workers say job ads and even verbal offers have been "ghosted'. Ruth Hill reports.

Dr Shane Reti has unveilled his prescription for achieving five significant health targets all within the existing budget, leaving some experts skeptical about whether it's actually possible. The five targets are: faster cancer treatment, improved immunisation coverage, shorter stays in emergency departments, shorter waits for specialist appointments and elective treatment. The Health Minister said he's been assured we're on track to meet them without dipping further into the public purse, Ruth Hill reports.

Craig describes himself as "double adopted." He grew up knowing his parents had adopted him but also recognizes that he was adopted into the family of God. We love how Craig describes his experience of being adopted and how it helped him to understand His identity in Christ. You can hear Craig's understanding of God's plan for his life as he begins to share his story, including how he met his wife, Ruth. He gives an overview of a lot of his adult life in California and focuses in on changes that began to take place about 10 years ago. After 30+ years in California Craig made a big leap in his decision that caused him and Ruth to move to New Mexico. This had decision was made with intense prayer and seeking counsel from other believers. What Craig and Ruth didn't know was that the Lord was going to lead them through a season of growth, heartache and change that pushed them to trust in God like they never had before. Craig describes it as learning to give God a "blank check." Learning to live life with hands surrendered and open to what He has. Moving to New Mexico was not the end of the journey - it was only the beginning. Listen in to hear about the amazing work God did on Craig's heart and how he learned to fully lean into God and the agenda He has. This is an encouraging conversation no matter what season of life you're in. Ruth Hill's testimony (Craig's wife!), Episode 41 *available wherever you listen to podcastsBradley Chaddick's testimony, Episode 120*available wherever you listen to podcastsTuesday night Men's fellowship at DSCCConnect Groups at DSCC ________Topic's covered in today's episode: Rangers baseball, Royals baseball, adoption, job changes, New Mexico, RV travel________Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We'd love it if you'd share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Wednesday to hear another story of God's faithfulness!

Te Whatu Ora has scrapped the highest Code Black alert used by some emergency departments to show when they are critically overcrowded or understaffed. Ruth Hill reports.

A patient who died in the waiting room of Rotorua Hospital's emergency department last month had been waiting three hours. Ruth Hill reports.

Nine out of 10 GPs plan to increase patients' fees if they haven't already. GenPro, which represents the owners of general practices says its survey of members highlights the crisis in primary care which is struggling with rising costs, high patient demand and staff shortages. Ruth Hill reports.

Mental health advocates say the use of tasers on people in crisis is an indictment on a health system which has left police as the default emergency responder. Ruth Hill reports.

The survival chances of a Auckland cancer patient have been cut dramatically after he was forced to wait six months for a bone marrow transplant. Ruth Hill reports.