Nursing, midwifery peak bodies call for more responsibilities to fix Australia’s healthcare crisis

Nurses and midwives have demanded the ability to prescribe basic medications and issue diagnostics in a move they say would reduce wait times and costs.

Nurses and midwives want regulations changed to allow them to order diagnostic tests, issue referrals to specialists and prescribe certain medications, in a move peak bodies say would reduce waiting times and boost healthcare outcomes.

The seven pre-election demands issued by the Alliance of the Nine Peaks also calls for endorsed midwives to conduct preconception counselling, homebirths and general women’s health consults, which would require a new item on the Medicare Benefit Schedule.

The group is also calling for a primary healthcare workforce development strategy which they say would unlock 15,000 new education and training places for registered nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives in settings like GPs, group practices and community and Aboriginal medical services.

New funding and regulatory reforms that support nurse and midwife-led clinics are also needed, with priority given to in rural, remote, and undeserved communities.

The united peak bodies say ‘critically under-utilised’ nurses need to be given more responsibilities in a move that could ease wait times and costs. Picture: NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Australian College of Nursing chief executive Kathryn Zeitz said Australia’s “unprecedented healthcare challenges … demand innovative solutions”.

“As healthcare costs rise and wait times lengthen, nurse and nurse-practitioner led clinics represent an evidence-based path forward that remains critically under-utilised,” she said.

“Nurse-led clinics deliver high-quality, cost-effective care across a range of services – from chronic disease management to preventive screenings.

“Yet current barriers prevent us from realising their full potential. It’s time for Australia to fully embrace nurse-led care as an essential component of our healthcare future.”

The demands align with recommendations made in a landmark review into the health workforce led by former Department of Health deputy secretary Mark Cormack.

It called for uniform rules for health practitioners across all state and territories, and found about one-third of nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives in primary health care settings rarely work to the full scope of their capabilities.

The Alliance of the Nine Peaks have urged the government to change the current restrictive regulations, while calling on state and territory government to ensure laws are uniform across Australia. Picture: NewsWire/ Linda Higginson

Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association chief Ken Griffin said while doctors “will always have an essential role,” there was increasing evidence that nurse-led care needed to be better utilised.

“Nurses should be prescribing basic medication, leading more clinics, and getting patients to specialists without unnecessary delays,” he said.

“What we’re calling for will make healthcare cheaper and easier to access, especially in rural and regional Australia where patients often can’t access the care they need.”

Australian Nurses and Midwives Federation secretary Annie Butler said outdated regulations were pulling unnecessary strains on the healthcare system.

“If we are serious about reforming healthcare, expanding the scope of practice for nurses and midwives must be a priority,” she said.

“It’s time to remove these barriers and trust the expertise of nurses and midwives — because when nurses and midwives can do more, everyone benefits.”

According to figures released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, nurses and midwives make up about 54 per cent of the total health industry, while 16 per cent of the workforce are medical practitioners (doctors and GPs).

Originally published as Nursing, midwifery peak bodies call for more responsibilities to fix Australia’s healthcare crisis