6 Minutes.com.au April 2009

Nurse prescribing Hooray, the Australian government is recognising that nurse practitioners who are educated at Masters-level in diagnosis and prescribing have been working with one hand tied behind their back by having no access to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Let's hope access to PBS for nurse practitioners is opened up beyond the small-minded idea of 'doctor shortage' though, and is oriented to allow choice and access for patients living in all geographic areas and regardless of socioeconomic status.

Lara Giddings, MP 
Minister for Health
Friday, 20 March 2009

Health Minister Lara Giddings today welcomed the Nursing Board’s authorisation of Tasmania’s first nurse practitioners.

“This is an exciting day for the future of nursing in Tasmania,” Ms Giddings said.

“Establishing the role of the nurse practitioner is part of the Tasmanian Government’s commitment to building a strong and sustainable nursing workforce.

“It is also an integral part of Tasmania’s Health Plan and a range of legislative and regulatory changes have been completed to support the implementation of the new role.

BETTER care for the seriously ill outside hospitals is tipped to be part of a major health reform document to be released on Monday. Health Minister Nicola Roxon says the interim report from the Federal Government's National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission contains some "radical" ideas.

The Age believes such ideas include changing the balance between public and private treatment.
The report will examine the option of a single national health care system run out of Canberra. Some sources believe it will suggest replacing much of Medicare with a British-style "fund holding" model for GPs, in which particular regions or practices get a block grant to "ration" out to patients. That would attract fierce resistance, especially from doctors worried about mixing medical decisions with financial ones. The document will also look at building new bridges between health care in hospitals (mostly state funded) and in the community (mostly federa funded). "People want us to look at doing things in a different way, want access to services closer to their communities, want to find ways that they can have more continuous contact with health professionals throughout the course of their lives," Ms Roxon told The Age.

6 Minutes.com.au 6 Feb 2009

With no end in sight to the medical workforce shortage, the Northern Territory has become the latest area to try fill the gap by setting up degree courses for nurse practitioners.The first intake of 14 nurses will take up their places next month at Charles Darwin University (CDU) on a new program developed with Federal Government's indigenous intervention program in mind. The university says it hopes the nurse practitioner degree program will "provide NT with more highly skilled and knowledgeable health care professionals able to provide the complex care required in many remote communities," according to Professor Sandra Dunn, course co-ordinator.