Enhanced Scope of Practice (ESOP) Project

Enhanced Scope of Practice (ESOP) Project

In 2005, Nurse Policy Branch funded the ESOP project to explore new or ‘non-traditional’ roles for division 2 registered nurses across a variety of service settings and clinical environments. Of particular interest, was the wider utilisation of the medicines endorsement.

Nine rural and metropolitan health services received funding for projects across a range of practice settings including acute, aged care, inpatient and community health and emergency. 

Local project teams developed service plans to guide the development of an enhanced scope of practice for their division 2 registered nurse workforce, including how medicines endorsement capability could be augmented within legislative and regulatory guidelines.

The findings and outcomes of the ESOP projects highlight that the introduction of new roles and practice for division 2 registered nurses impacts on the way health care is delivered and cannot be implemented without consideration of implications for the broader workforce.

The ESOP projects demonstrate that implementation of roles for division 2 registered nurses that fully maximise their capability is underpinned by a methodological approach to managing workforce change, which includes:

1. Planning for division 2 roles and practice change

• A sound business case
• Organisational commitment
• A governance framework

2. Managing implementation of new roles for division 2 nurses

• A project methodology
• A communication strategy
• Change champions
• A framework of support for practice and roles
• Evaluating the impact of new roles

3. Sustaining division 2 roles and practice

The Nurse Policy Branch ESOP Summation Report is now available.

 Registered Nurse Division 2 Enhanced Scope of Practice Project Summation Report (pdf, 1.38kb)

Queries can be directed to Nurse Policy Branch via email: nursepolicy@dhs.vic.gov.au