Nine of the nation's largest nursing and midwifery organisations have formed an Alliance to campaign for significant and meaningful primary health care reform.
The Alliance calls on all governments to enable nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, and allied health professionals to work to their full scope of practice to improve access to quality and affordable health care for all Australians, no matter where they live.
The Alliance of the nine Peaks – the Australian College of Nursing (ACN), the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA), the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM), the Australian College of Midwives (ACM), the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN), the Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia (CRANAplus), and the Council of the Deans of Nursing and Midwifery (CDNM) – will campaign to promote the benefits of nursing and midwifery for all communities.
Securing support for the work of nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives – particularly ensuring they can work to their full scope of practice – is a critically important election issue for the alliance.
The campaign will work with the Federal Government, the Opposition, and all parties and Independents, to ensure significant health care reform in line with the raft of independent reviews under the Strengthening Medicare banner - including the Review of General Practice Incentives, the Review of After Hours Primary Care Programs and Policy, the Working Better for Medicare Review, and the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce – Scope of Practice Review.
The nursing and midwifery Peaks believe that the spirit of the consultation process throughout these reviews indicates that the Government recognises the growing health needs of patients and communities now and into the future - and the Government has an appetite for reform.
Patients and communities – especially in rural and regional and remote areas, including First Nations communities – will benefit when nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives can use their full skill set under their scope of practice.
Nurses and midwives have spearheaded the promotion of culturally safe care, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
There is a critical connection between education, skills development, workforce, and clinical practice. Nurses and midwives are well educated and highly trained to safely deliver a wide array of healthcare.
For over thirty years, they have been educated in universities, backed by evidence-based research that reflects changing models of care and use of new technology.
Nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives make up 54 per cent of Australia's health workforce. They are the most geographically dispersed health workforce in the country.
But one-third of nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives in primary health care rarely work to their full scope. This must change.
Governments are clearly seeing evidence of the benefits of using nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, pharmacists, and other health professionals to work to their full scope in providing more accessible primary health care services in the community.
Nurse-led primary health care has been operating successfully in Australia for decades.
This success has been built upon in recent times with an increase in the number of nurse-led walk-in clinics in some jurisdictions.
They are popular with patients because they are easy to access and are free. They are supported by governments because they take pressure off general practice and emergency departments.
Fully utilising nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives will make health care more accessible and better value for all Australians.
The Nursing and Midwifery Peaks campaign includes:
- Meetings with MPs and Senators.
- Public and media education about the quality, breadth, and diversity of nursing and midwifery.
- Mainstream and social media materials and activity.
- Actively using evidence and data and facts to refute misinformation and ill-informed commentary on nursing, midwifery, and allied health quality, capability, and cost.
- Combined evidence-based policy and advocacy programs.
A highlight of the campaign is a combined Parliamentary Friends of Nursing event at Parliament House in Canberra today, Tuesday 19 November 2024. This event is a Showcase of Modern Nursing with exhibitions of the diversity of nursing, practical demonstrations, and health assessments for Parliamentarians and their staff.
Nurses and Midwives are Skilled
- As science-based health professionals, nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives are essential in every clinical setting and are associated with stronger patient outcomes.
- Australia's nurses and midwives are increasingly post-graduate qualified.
- Australian-educated nurses and midwives are sought after globally.
Nurses and Midwives are Trusted
- Australians trust nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives.
- Nurses and midwives are consistently ranked as the most trusted professions in health.
Nurses and Midwives are Experienced
- Australian nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives are experienced. Nurses have an average age of 43. Midwives have an average age of 47. They have decades of clinical experience in all healthcare settings.
- Nurses typically work in more than three clinical settings, gaining valuable experience that benefits their patients and communities.
Nurses and Midwives are Safe
- Nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives are safe, regulated, and their care contributes to quality patient health outcomes.
- Nurse and Midwife are protected titles – becoming one requires specific education.
- The nursing and midwifery professions are regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
- Insurers data shows that nurses and midwives are safe. Professional Indemnity data show low claims.
- Patients are safe with nurses and midwives. Stronger patient outcomes are associated with higher rates of nursing.
Nurses and Midwives are Underutilised
- Despite being 54 per cent of the health workforce, nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives are underutilised, with one-third of nurses and midwives in primary health care rarely working to their full scope.
- The Scope of Practice Review consultation process has demonstrated that nurses and midwives are underutilised.
