The Commonwealth has been undertaking work to recognise the role Nurse Practitioners and participating midwives play in the delivery of health care services, contributing to the bigger goals of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce and the Nurse Practitioner Workforce Plan.
Nurse Practitioners are experienced registered nurses who have completed a Master’s degree. They work independently to assess and diagnose patients, request and interpret tests, prescribe medication and therapies and make referrals to other health practitioners.
Currently, nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives are prevented from autonomously providing services under Medicare and prescribing PBS medicines, without the supervision of a medical practitioner – known as a Collaborative Arrangement. An independent review found this legislated requirement creates several barriers to accessible, high-quality care for patients, particularly in rural and remote communities where it can be harder to see a doctor.
The Professional Standards for Practice, and Safety and Quality Guidelines issued by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia already requires registered nurses, midwives, and nurse practitioners to engage in collaboration with other health professionals.
The Health Legislation Amendment (Removal of Requirement for a Collaborative Arrangement) Bill 2024 was introduced to Federal Parliament on 20 March 2024. If passed by Parliament, the Bill will remove the legislative need for collaborative arrangements to provide MBS services and prescribe PBS medications.
The Bill aims to:
- remove barriers to care provided by nurse practitioners and participating midwives, particularly in rural and remote areas where there:
– is a smaller healthcare workforce
– are challenges attracting and retaining GPs. - provide nurse practitioners and participating midwives more autonomy in their scope of practice
- increase use of participating midwives in First Nations settings
- support our goal of health care professionals being able to work to their full scope of practice.
Subject to passage through Parliament, the change will come into effect from 1 November 2024.