The industrial and professional organisation for nurses and midwives in Australia
Canberra Office (Professional Services)
Unit 3, 28 Eyre Street Kingston ACT 2604
Australia
PO Box 4239 Kingston ACT 2604 Australia
+ 61 2 6232 6533 (T) + 61 2 6232 6610 (F)
anfcanberra@anf.org.au
Melbourne Office (Industrial Services)
Level 1, 365 Queen Street Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia
+ 61 3 9602 8500 (T) + 61 3 9602 8567 (F)
industrial@anf.org.au
anfmelbourne@anf.org.au
ANF Journals
Australian Nursing Journal
Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing
anj@anf.org.au ajan@anf.org.au
ABN 41 816 898 298
media release
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 Australia Institute of Health and Welfare
reveals 68 per cent of General Practitioners (GP) employed a nurse but they
are 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 inquiries
Eleni Hale, Media and Communications
(03) 9602 8522 / 0402337388
Ged Kearney, Federal Secretary
0417 053 322
Lee Thomas, Assistant Federal Secretary
0419 576 590
NEWS 
