Showcasing Nurse Practitioners

Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, has celebrated the role of Nurse Practitioners in the ACT and re-affirmed the ACT Labor Government's commitment to supporting career pathways for nurses.

The Chief Minister today officially launched an event to increase awareness of Nurse Practitioners practising in a wide range of roles within the ACT, including at the nurse-led Walk-in Centres and to acknowledge the achievements of Nurse Practitioners across the territory.

"The Nurse Practitioner role is well established in the ACT and across Australia for providing complex care to often high risk patients," the Chief Minister said.

"More than 20 Nurse Practitioners are practising in the ACT in a wide range of specialty areas such as Emergency, Rehabilitation, Sexual Health, Aged Care and Palliative Care.

"Nurse Practitioners work in a collaborative arrangement with other health professionals including medical practitioners, pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists to provide optimal care to the Canberra community.

"There are several Nurse Practitioners amongst the workforce at the nurse-led Walk-in Centre, which has had more than 11,000 presentations in just the first eight months of this financial year - a sign of community confidence in the highly skilled nursing staff.

"Walk-in Centre staff have been able to treat 70 percent of patients presenting to the centre without further referral which demonstrates just how this professional and highly skilled workforce is meeting a need in our community.

"The Walk-in Centre is an excellent example of new and innovative models of care being implemented that provide both a benefit to the community and to the nursing workforce by providing high quality health services that fill an unmet need in our community as well as career pathways that recognise the skills and experience of our nurse workforce.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the inaugural ACT Chapter of the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners ‘Options, Outcomes and Opportunities' Showcase, in support of Nurse Practitioners who have been actively practising in the ACT for nearly a decade.

"This event showcases the achievements of Nurse Practitioners as part of a strong, sustainable nursing workforce," the Chief Minister concluded.