Unleashing the potential of our workforce - Scope of Practice Review

Overview

In February 2023, the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report outlined priority recommendations to improve primary care. One of these was that the Australian Government work together with states and territories to explore the barriers and incentives for all health practitioners to work to their full scope of practice.

In April 2023, National Cabinet supported this recommendation. As part of the 2023-24 Budget, the Government provided funding for a review of the scope of practice of health practitioners working in primary care.

Professor Mark Cormack is leading this intensive, independent review. Titled Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce, the Scope of Practice Review will consider current models of care against community needs. It will explore the available evidence of the benefits of health practitioners working to full scope of practice. It will identify barriers and opportunities for innovation.

The focus for the review is:

• general practitioners
• nurses, including nurse practitioners, registered nurses and enrolled nurses
• pharmacists
• midwives
• allied health practitioners
• First Nations health practitioners and workers
• paramedics.

The review will submit its interim report to Government in December 2023. Its findings, including recommendations and an implementation plan, will be given to Government in the second half of 2024.

More information about the process and timings for the review is available in the Terms of Reference.

Why your views matter

The views and perspectives of everyone with an interest in  the delivery of primary care are essential to this review. The review wants to hear from a very broad range of organisations and individuals including:

• consumer groups
• governments
• health services
• peak bodies
• individual health practitioners
• regulatory bodies
• health professional boards
• employers
• funders
• education and training institutions
• insurance providers.

What happens next

Analysts for the review will categorise and reference the views and perspectives people have submitted to this consultation stage. The review analysts will highlight the trends and key issues that arise and compile a list of all references and literature. This will paint a comprehensive picture of the current state of scope of practice in primary care, to inform the next stages of the review.