| Walk-in nurses clinic 'very safe, effective' |
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| Sunday, 16 May 2010 21:35 | |||
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ABC News Video: Walk-in nurses centre ready for business (7pm TV News NSW) Related Story: First nurses clinic opens in Canberra Nurses say a new walk-in clinic in Canberra will help alleviate part of the burden on the wider health system. The new nurse-led centre at the Canberra Hospital will operate 16 hours a day, with nurses treating patients with minor ailments.
It is hoped that will deter patients from the emergency department. Doctors say separating health care workers could impair patient care. But Ged Kearney from the Australian Nursing Federation says more clinics like the one in Canberra will streamline the health system. "If a patient presents to a nurse practitioner with a problem the nurse practitioner thinks needs a doctor then the nurse practitioner will refer that patient to the doctor of course and no doubt communicate and collaborate with all the other health professionals that he or she needs to," she said. Ms Kearney says the clinic allows nurses to take a more active role in primary health care. "We hope to see more of these walk-in clinics, or frontline primary health care centres run by nurse practitioners," she said. "They provide very safe very effective health care. They're expert clinicians in their own right." The Federal government says there are no plans to roll-out similar clinics across the country but it will keep a close eye on the centre's progress. The clinic at Canberra Hospital will open to the public on May 18.
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