Response 965092875

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Aim and Outcomes of the Plan

1. Do you think the aim of this plan is clear?

Please select one item
Very clear
Somewhat clear
Unclear
Unsure
Prefer not to say

2. Are the targeted outcomes of the Plan appropriate for the next 10 years?

Please select one item
Very appropriate
Somewhat appropriate
Not appropriate
Unsure
Prefer not to say

3. Please provide any additional feedback or comments on the aim and outcomes.

(max 300 words)
Needs to have further focus and call out of the necessity and reform piece that this will bring about

Education Lifelong Learning

4. Will these actions support the nurse practitioner workforce to enhance their skills and capability to address population health needs?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to say

5. Will these actions encourage provision and uptake of nurse practitioner education and the nurse practitioner endorsement pathway, including encourage the growth of First Nations nurse practitioners?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to say

6. Please provide any additional feedback or comments on the actions under Education and Lifelong Learning.

(max 300 words)
Rural and remote health services struggle with growing NP workforce due to not having funded NP candidate positions, federally funded positions would allow for further NP positions to be put in place due to an increase in candidate positions.
Education support needs to be further provided to existing NP positions so that they are not financially disincentivised to expand their scope of practice

Recruitment and Retention

7. Will these actions facilitate the recruitment and retention of nurse practitioners?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to say

8. Please provide any additional feedback or comments on the actions under Recruitment and Retention.

(max 300 words)
As a state government health services that operates 9 general practices to provide primary care due to market failure in being able to supply doctors, there is no incentive to employ NP in primary care as they can not access MBS to generate revenue when employed by a state health entity.
This needs to change or there should be an extension of the ability to apply for 19-2 exemptions in rural and remote areas so that more NP would be able to be employed and offset there wages from MBS revenue.

Increasingly in rural and remote Hospital and Health services, State health departments are being required to own and operate GP clinics as there is no doctors wanting to move to rural and remote towns. This then limits that service being able to offset the costs of running a practice as we can not claim MBS revenue for NP who are employed by Health departments. In most communities primary care is being undertaken by NP and allied health staff with virtual GP support a couple of days a week. The financial incentives are not available to support this model.

Models of Care

9. Will these actions facilitate sustainable models of nurse practitioner care that meet community needs?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to say

10. Will these actions ensure national consistency of practice and enable nurse practitioners to work to their full scope of practice?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to say

11. Please provide any additional feedback or comments on the actions under Models of Care.

(max 300 words)
Legislation needs to be altered to allow NP to access all MBS item numbers and to prescribe completely and order diagnostic tests.
In Rural and remote when there is frequently no doctors in place and havent for years the capping of certain items and testing is limiting primary care and access to preventative care.

Health Workforce Planning

12. Will these actions build understanding of the role and contribution of nurse practitioners for consumers, health professionals and employers?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to say

13. Will these actions bolster data infrastructure and planning processes that include nurse practitioners in health workforce planning?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
Prefer not to say

Participant information

16. What is your name?

Name (Required)
Chris Small

17. Please select your current location

Please select one item
Urban
Regional
Rural
Remote
Very Remote

18. Which best describes your response?

Please select one item
I am responding as an individual
I am responding on behalf of an organisation/institution

19. If you selected that you are responding as an individual, please select all that best describes you:

Please select all that apply
Consumer
Nurse practitioner
Nurse practitioner candidate
Nurse practitioner employer
Registered Nurse
Enrolled Nurse
Medical Practitioner
Allied health professional
Policy Officer/ Analyst
Academic / Researcher
Other - Please specify below

21. Do you consent to being named as having provided a submission to this consultation process?

Please select one item
(Required)
Yes
No

22. Do you consent to your submission being published on the Department of Health and Aged Care Consultation Hub?

Please select one item
(Required)
Yes – including my name and submission
Yes – de-identified submission
No