GP practices to get funds to employ full time nurses

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 9 2010

There are nearly 40 percent GP practices in Australia who do not employ the services of a trained nurse. Authorities believe that there are 441,000 unnecessary hospital admissions each year only because of inability of patients to manage their chronic diseases due to lack of knowledge, or their inability to get adequate follow up care.

In a medical revolution planned for tomorrow’s Federal Budget now every doctor’s practice across the country will get its own nursing staff for help in treatment, making house calls, prescriptions and scheduled follow ups. The nurses help in patient education, management of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease etc. They will be able to teach dressing wounds, first aid etc. they will be equipped to carry out tests for asthma, blood sugar, blood cholesterol, pap smears and administer vaccines.

$75,000 a year will be sanctioned to a three-doctor practice with each getting $25,000 to hire a full time nurse. A six-doctor practice will get up to $150,000 to fund two full-time nurses. The authorities believe that the tasks that nurses can take up come at not extra costs and can free up GPs to carry out the more complex procedures and medical care. At present the government incentives allow up to $40,000 per practice and that too only in rural and understaffed areas. Medicare also allows rebates to doctors for only pap smears, vaccinations and dressings that can be provided by nurses. Medicare rebates for nurses are anticipated to be removed under these reforms. This will allow nurses to take up more activities. This budget targets nurses to be a part of more activities and services. The payments will be lower for enrolled nurses with lower qualifications and Aboriginal health worker compared to qualified registered nurses.

The budget may also bring in some funds to the country’s 7,000 GP practices so that they can add some equipment or rooms for procedures as well as for supporting staff like nurses, physiotherapists, technicians, etc.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon in her speech to the Australian Practice Nurses Association on Friday emphasized that nurses would “play a key role” in the proposed government reforms in primary health care. The whole move may make the GP practice a complete health care solution at the primary level.

The Federal Treasurers announced today that some major reform’s can be expected from the third budget of Mr. Wayne Swan. Mr. Swan said, “We will put in place the biggest reforms to Medicare since its introduction.” Health will be a key issue in this budget he promised. The funds for these nurses are expected to be a part of the $2 billion package for disease prevention and prevention of obesity and alcoholism. He has also promised funds for electronic maintenance of health records.