Nurse Practitioner
NPs in Mental health and Drug Services
In 2008, the Nurse Policy Branch and the Mental Health and Drugs Division funded a collaborative project to understand the emerging roles and issues impacting on NP models in Victorian mental health and drug services.
As part of this work, an external group was commissioned to map nine health services that represented a mix of rural/regional and metropolitan services as well as the diversity of service configuration (eg: where services were collocated and/or collocated with acute health services as well as those that were not)
The final report is now available:
Sustainable Models for Nurse Practitioners in Public Mental Health and Drug Clinical Services: A Research Report (pdf, 1007 kb)
What is a nurse practitioner?
The health workforce is a critical concern for the Victorian Government and advanced practice nursing roles such as Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are an important component of building a responsive, skilled and appropriate workforce to meet the needs of the Victorian community.
A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse educated and authorised to function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and extended clinical role.
The nurse practitioner role includes assessment and management of clients using nursing knowledge and skills and may include but is not limited to, the direct referral of patients to other health care professionals, prescribing medications and ordering diagnostic investigations.
The nurse practitioner role is grounded in the nursing profession's values, knowledge, theories and practise and provides innovative and flexible health care delivery that complements other health care providers. The scope of practice of the nurse practitioner is determined by the context in which the nurse practitioner is authorised to practise. (ANMC 2006)
The title Nurse Practitioner is protected, preventing use of the title 'nurse practitioner' by anyone who is not endorsed by the Nurses Board of Victoria as a NP. Similar restrictions apply in other states/territories.
NP's are progressively being introduced in all states and territories. There are some differences in the way the roles are operating because of the different legislation and regulation that is in place in each state or territory.
About Victorian NP's
Currently in Victoria, there are over 44 NPs endorsed and working in the areas including:
Some of our nurse practitioners have shared their stories about what they do and where they work, pleae see the 'A day in the life' page.
Many more nurses are studying to become NPs and health services are increasingly considering the best areas to have NPs services.
About the Victorian Nurse Practitioner Project (VNPP)
The Government's Victorian Nurse Practitioner Project (VNPP) supports the implementation of NPs through a variety of mechanisms. The VNPP provides a focal point for the development of NP policy and legislation as well as providing funding to support to public health services to implement models of care that include NPs and providing support to both health services and individual nurses for the educational and clinical preparation of nurses to become NPs.
For information about VNPP projects prior to 2006-07, please see the History of Nurse Practitioners page.
About VNPP Phase 4 Integration and Sustainability
The VNPP Practitioner Project is currently in Phase 4 and has a focus on enhancing the delivery of health care in the Victorian public health system through the effective and strategic integration of sustainable models of NP practice.
The objectives of Phase 4 are to:
- Assist health services to develop service plans for nurse practitioner services that are strategic, sustainable and integrated with broader health service directions
- Ensuring plans for NP services and models are aligned with relevant existing organisational and/or workforce plans
- Facilitate collaboration between health services in the development and implementation of NP service plans and models, and
- Build engagement, collaboration and consultation with local stakeholders to support the NP role.
Building on the success of the targeting a number of funding rounds to support emergency models, the VNPP is now aiming to focus efforts to create a critical mass and progressively deliver cohorts of NPs in other key areas" under About VNPP Phase 4.
Round 4.1 NP Service Plans for Rural Health Services
In 2006, 10 health services were funded to undertake service planning for NPs. The reports on those projects are available for other health services to use (service plans for NP's). In 2007-08, a further 15 rural health services are being supported to develop organisational service plans for the implementation of nurse practitioner services across their health service or in partnership with other health services or providers.
The health services participating in Round 4.1 were:
|
Alpine Health |
Rawson Community Health Centre (West Gippsland Hospital) |
|
Colac Area Health Collaborating with Barwon Health |
Rochester & Elmore DHS |
|
Echuca Regional Health |
Rural Northwest Health |
|
Hepburn Health Service |
Gippsland Hospital |
|
Kyabram & DHS |
Stawell Regional Health |
| Mallee Track Health & Community Service | Wimmera Health Care Group |
| Upper MurrayHealth & Community Services |
Yarrawonga DHS |
The reports on these projests are available for the other heath services to use.
Round 4.2 NP Models in Stroke Care
To support the implementation of the Stroke Care Strategy for Victoria (2007). Nurse Policy Branch is collaborating with Programs Branch to support a targeted round of funding for nurse practitioner models in Stroke Care. Nine health services are currently working on developing Nurse Practitioner models in stroke care and recruiting seven NP candidates for stroke care.
Seven health services participated in NP Models in Stroke Care 'first offer' (2008). They are
|
Austin Health |
Northern Health |
|
Alfred Health (formerly Bayside Health) |
St Vincents Health |
|
Eastern Health |
Western Health |
|
Melbourne Health |
|
The reports on these projects are available for other heath services to use.
In 2009 a further two health services joined the round after a 'second offer'. They are:
| Bendigo Health |
| Peninsula Health |
There will be 'third offer' made in 2009-2010.
Round 4.3 NP Models in Renal Care
In 2008, NPB provided funding to support six rural and metropolitan health services to implement NP models in renal care that are aligned with the directions outlines in the Renal Dialysis: a revised service model for Victoria. The six health services are recruiting 8 NPC in renal care at the following health services:
|
Austin Health |
Peninsula Health |
|
Bairnsdale Regional Health (withdrew) |
Southern Health |
|
Bendigo Health |
Western Health |
The reports on these projects are available for other heath services to use.
In 2009 a further two health services joined the round after a 'second offer'. They are:
Eastern Health
Melbourne Health
There will be 'third offer' made in 2009-2010.
Round 4.4 NP models in Palliative Care
In 2009 Nurse Policy Branch, in collaboration with Cancer and Palliative Care Services, provided funding to support six metropolitan and five rural health services to implement Nurse Practitioner roles in palliative care. The health services are recruiting 22 Nurse Practitioner Candidates in palliative at the following health services:
| Metropolitan: |
|
|---|---|
| Northern Health | Ballarat Health Service |
| Peninsula Health | Barwon Health |
| Peter MacCallum | Bendigo Health |
| St Vincent's Health | Central Gippsland Health Service |
| Southern Health | Northeast Health Wangaratta |
| Calvary Health Care Bethlehem in collaboration with Southeast Palliative Care and Melbourne City Mission | |
NP Collaboratives
Based on previous rounds, it has been demonstrated that a collaborative approach can assist individual sites and contribute to the success of NP implementation by creating a network to share knowledge and experiences that impact on the implementation of NP services.
Nurse Policy Branch is supporting Rounds 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 by establishing and facilitating a Renal, Stroke and Palliative Care Collaboratives that aim to:
- Provide forums for advice and comment on issues regarding Nurse Practitioner renal/stroke model development
- Facilitate updates on the local progress of renal/stroke models
- Facilitate sharing of resources such as educational opportunities
- Provide networking opportunities for members of the group
- Advise Clinical Networks of progress and issues that impact on stroke and renal services and;
- Collectively advise the department and NBV on an appropriate formulary for the area of NP clinical practice.
Austin Health is convening a NPs in Stroke Care Collaborative on behalf of the funding round and can be contacted by: leanne.turner@austin.org.au
Bendigo Health Austin Health is convening a NPs in Renal Care Collaborative on behalf of the funding round and can be contacted by: emorley@bendigohealth.org.au
The Centre for Palliative Care Education and Research (St Vincent's Hospital and the University of Melbourne) is convening a Palliative Care NP Collaborative on behalf of the funding round and can be contacted by: cpcpa@medstv.unimelb.edu.au
VNPP 2009-2010
In 2009-2010 in addition to further rounds for the implementation of Renal, Stroke and Palliative Care models Nurse Policy Branch plans to introduce new rounds in Mental Health, Drug Services and Oncology.