Media Release: 4 December 2009

New report shows nurses are the answer

The Australian Nursing Federation has welcomed a new report that highlights the need for nurses to play a bigger role in primary health care.

The report published today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals 68 per cent of General Practitioners (GP) employed a nurse but they were only used in 6 per cent of encounters.

Ged Kearney, Federal Secretary of the ANF, said the report showed nurses were an under utilized community resource.
“Highly skilled and capable nurses are working in the majority of general practices but these figures show that they could be playing a much greater role,” Ms Kearney said.

“Current funding arrangements are a barrier for practice nurses to offer their communities the full benefit of their skills.”
“They could play a much greater role for example in the management of chronic diseases which would result in better outcomes for patients.”

Nurses play a vital role in the delivery of Primary Health Care, that is care in the community. Practice nurses and nurse practitioners in particular would have a more positive effect on health care if there was an overhaul of the current federal government funding systems.

“The report also demonstrates how vital it is that Parliament pass the current legislation before it which would grant MBS access to rebates and PBS subsidies for patients of nurse practitioners.”

Media Contacts
Eleni Hale, Media and Communications, 0402 337 388
Ged Kearney, Federal Secretary 0417 053 322
Lee Thomas, Assistant Federal Secretary 0419 576 590

The ANF, with 170,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses and midwives in Australia.