Coinciding with this year’s International Nurses Day, this week’s Federal Budget has had some significant outcomes for the primary health care, nursing workforce.
The Federal Budget delivered on 9th May 2023, APNA believes will strengthen Australia’s primary health care (PHC) system by addressing growing nursing shortages, seeing more nurses hired where they are needed, and better utilising the largest workforce in PHC of nearly 100,000 nurses to their full potential to reduce the pressure on the health system.
The Federal Budget could significantly boost job prospects and career progression in primary healthcare, as well as strengthen the current PHC nursing workforce by funding:
- An 18-month national Scope of Practice review
- 6,000 additional clinical placements in primary healthcare nursing ($4.2 million over four years)
- 1,850 graduate scholarships to train more Nurse Practitioners ($50.2 million over four years)
- $1 million towards incentives to get 500 nurses back into the workforce
Australian Health Journal met with APNA President Karen Booth and CEO Ken Griffin at their Money in May 2023 event in Sydney.
Money in May is an APNA member-only initiative and is a month of education so that nurses know more about money and how to navigate the financial side of being a nurse. The campaign has three key themes: do more, save more and earn more.
Timed to coincide with the end of the financial year, APNA has focused on financial literacy. Nurses who understand the opportunities and challenges of finance and funding mechanisms and keep abreast of changes can be an even greater asset for their patients and the business they work for. For their personal lives, they make better financial decisions, earn more and retire with more super.
The outcomes are for each Primary healthcare nurse in a time to influence and pitch for what they want — be that money to fund a nurse-led clinic, a financial allocation for CPD or negotiate pay.
Relating that back to the funding announcements in the Federal Budget, there is potential to significantly boost job prospects and career progression in primary healthcare, as well as strengthen the current PHC nursing workforce.
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Foundation outlines breast cancer research strategy
Australian Health Journal met with Associate Professor Cleola Anderiesz, CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation to hear of the new 5 year Pink Horizon research strategy. Those with lived experience of breast cancer, along with researchers, clinicians, and other funding organisations, have contributed to the development of the foundation’s new five-year Pink Horizon research strategy. This ambitious plan aims to invest $125 million to accelerate research efforts towards the vision of ending deaths from breast cancer.
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Report: Youth pathways to health services
The 2020 Youth Health Forum (YHF) was created to make young people’s ideas and experiences part of our national discussions about services for young Australians.
Healthcare professionals across Australia have long recognised the problem of young people falling through the gaps of a health system that wasn’t designed for them.
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Australasian College of Paramedicine makes case for multi-disciplinary care
Despite being seen primarily as emergency responders, paramedics have long been providing care in the primary care space. As such, their increased involvement in primary and urgent care is a natural progression that can lead to improved health outcomes for communities. Urgent care clinics, which treat non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses, have been a recent introduction. However, when these clinics were initially proposed, paramedics were left out of the opportunity, despite being experts in urgent, acute, unplanned, and unscheduled care. They work in these types of situations every day in the ambulance service and should be utilised in these clinics to improve patient outcomes. Working as part of multidisciplinary teams with doctors and nurses can further enhance the outcomes for local communities.
