PM announces GP practice nurses funding boost

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

hopefully this will see the rise of more nurses taking on the physician office role which will inevitably - i hope- lead to an increase in independant practice with wound care etc. long long overdue imho

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1074693.htm

pm announces gp practice nurses funding boost

prime minister john howard has officially launched a new service that should help ease the burden on gps in sydney's north-west.

two positions have been created at the hawkesbury division of general practice as part of a program that will add 1,600 practice nurses across australia.

the funding has come from the government's medicare plus package.

mr howard says the positions will improve australia's already good health services.

"medicare plus will extend the provision of practice nurses over a period of years and the full additional number of 1,600 will be in place by the year 2007 and i think there's a total of $140 million from now and 2007 that will be provided to support the practice nurse initiative," mr howard said.

"we have despite all of the criticisms that are from time to time made about health services in this country - there are deficiencies, there are always changes and improvements that can be made; but we do have, by world standards, excellent health services in australia."