The Australian Nursing Federation Marks International Nurses' Day, May 12, By Celebrating Inspirational Nursing Initiatives In Primary Care

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 12 May 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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As part of International Nurses' Day celebrations the ANF is highlighting the commitment and fantastic innovations brought to primary health care by nurses in Australia.

Ged Kearney, Federal Secretary of the ANF said; "Nurses continue to lead the way in primary health care reform, providing modern solutions to the difficulties faced in areas such as outer metropolitan and rural and remote area health."

One extraordinary model, bringing excellent primary health care to rural Australia is the Walwa Bush Nursing Centre. The centre was established when the Walwa Bush Nursing Hospital closed its in-patient services and the community was faced with losing access to after hours emergency care. The Walwa Bush Nursing Centre (WBNC) started a collaborative health care delivery model and provides quality, efficient care to the Walwa community alongside and in support of the Walwa Medical Centre.

The WBNC combines the extensive experience and skills of a nurse practitioner with a professional nursing team enabling the centre to offer the Walwa community access to daytime and after-hours primary health care that includes:

-- comprehensive patient assessments prior to GP consultation, establishing more efficient and thorough services at the Walwa Medical Centre;
- community and individual education;
- outpatient services - i.e. wound management;
- the removal of lesions, suturing and dressings;
- ECGs and pathology;
- referrals to other primary health programs that they also run, including lifestyle and fitness programs;
- first line care and comprehensive triaging with the GP on emergency presentations; and
- Walwa nurse practitioner and WBNC CEO Sandi Grieves supports on call RNs removing pressure on the local GP to be continuously on-call.

Nurses in Australia are committed to best practice health care and real health reform. Walwa Bush Nursing Centre is an example of a truly collaborative approach to primary health care and is leading the way on effective reform. Such a model could be applied to many primary health services.

The ANF is calling on the federal government to implement an audit of effective models of care that maximise the skills of our excellent health workforce and that best serve the health needs of all Australia's communities.

Sandi Grieve, CEO of the WBNC said that not only was the model a fantastic method for effective primary health care delivery, being a nurse practitioner in the clinic was the best job possible.

The ANF, representing nearly 160,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses and midwives in Australia.

Australian Nursing Federation