MEDIA RELEASE
For release 27 April 2006
Government support for nurses in general practice
The Illawarra Division of General Practice welcomed the news from the Minister for Health and Ageing that there would be an extension of Australian Government support to general practice nurses employed within all urban areas of workforce shortage.
Nurses are fast becoming an essential member of the Primary Health Care Team, and work with GPs to provide high quality health care for patients in the community. There are currently 62 practice nurses employed in GP surgeries across the Illawarra, which constitutes less than a quarter of practices. The forthcoming funding will help to boost these numbers by providing funding to support GPs to employ nurses.
"The IDGP were very pleased to hear that all GPs in the Illawarra Division area would finally be financially supported to employ a practice nurse. The number of practice nurses is likely to increase further with the introduction of the Practice Nurse Incentive Payment and other government initiatives that support the employment of nurses in general practice. This support will enable more GPs to work with nurses in an effort to decrease GP workloads, better manage the increasing burden of chronic illnesses in our community, and generally enable a practice to offer a wider variety of both preventative and illness focused health services” said Anne Harding, the Practice Nursing Program Officer at the Illawarra Division of General Practice.
Nurses are skilled health care professionals who play a major role in assisting GPs to better manage patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma and cardiovascular disease, along with providing other services like immunisation, cervical screening and health assessments.
Local GPs who will now be able to access the Practice Nurse Incentive which supports the employment of a practice nurse are very happy with the outcome.
“My practice nurse Michelle, a registered nurse, provides me with valuable assistance in striving to make sure my patients are given timely quality care, especially in terms of preventative health measures. Now we have a practice nurse as part of our primary health care team, I certainly can see a difference in my workload, and the coordination of patient care within our practice” says Dr Fernandez, who has employed a nurse within his practice for the last 6 months.
With the Ministers announcement, all GPs within the Illawarra Division of General Practice are now able to access an incentive payment to support the employment of a nurse within their practice. The outcome will hopefully ease some of the burden created by the current workforce shortage that is facing all of Australia.
For more information: Contact Anne Harding, IDGP Practice Nursing Program Officer 42267052
Media Contact: Monique Piper, Community Relations Manager, IDGP ph 4226 7052 or 0413132479
