We’re only using a fraction of health workers’ skills. This needs to change
Retrieved on:
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
That is, before the shift of education of nurses and other health professionals into universities in the 1980s.
Key Points:
- That is, before the shift of education of nurses and other health professionals into universities in the 1980s.
- But the recently released paper from an independent Commonwealth review on health workers’ “scope of practice” identifies the myriad of barriers preventing Australians from fully benefiting from health professionals’ skills.
- But we now have a sensible pathway to improve access to care, using all health professionals appropriately.
A new vision for general practice
- To do this, I logged onto my general practice’s website, answered the question about what I wanted, booked an appointment with the practice nurse that afternoon, got jabbed, was bulk-billed, sat down for a while, and then went home.
- The Commonwealth government has allowed the practice to be paid by Medicare for the nurse’s work.
- The venture capitalist practice owner has done the sums and decided allocating a room to a practice nurse is economically rational.
- It would be good if my general practice also had a physiotherapist, who I could see if I had back pain without seeing the GP, but there is no Medicare rebate for this.
How about pharmacists?
- Pharmacy owners especially have argued that pharmacists should be able to practise independently of GPs, prescribing a limited range of medications and dispensing them.
- This will inevitably reduce continuity of care and potentially create risks if the GP is not aware of what other medications a patient is using.
- Paying pharmacists independent prescribing may be part of the next agreement, the details of which are currently being negotiated.
- So their organisations highlight the risks of these changes, reopening centuries old turf wars dressed up as concerns about safety and risk.
Who pays for all this?
- Clearly the government must increase its support for comprehensive general practice.
- This should be the principal direction of primary care reform, and the final report of the scope of practice review should make that clear.
- In parallel, governments – state and federal – must ensure all health professionals are used to their best of their abilities.
- Read more:
Pharmacists should be able to work with GPs to prescribe medicines for long-term conditions
Stephen Duckett was a member of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce and is a member of the Commonwealth Department of Health's Expert Advisory Panel for the Review of General Practice Incentives