NURSE PRACTITIONERS

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (14:17): My question is directed to the Minister for Health. How will patients benefit from the government's election commitment to expand the number of nurse practitioners working in the South Australian public health sector?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:17): I thank the member for Ashford for her question and acknowledge her strong interest in this area of public health. I am very pleased to advise the house that the first round of nurse practitioner scholarships—scholarships that we announced during the election campaign—have now been awarded. The first round of scholarships will enable 40 nurses in our state to undertake masters level studies. The second round offer will be made later this year.

The role of the nurse practitioner is a critical element in our state's health reform process. All nurse practitioners are educated at masters level and endorsed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. They have advanced clinical assessment skills, can interpret diagnostic tests, for example, including diagnostic imaging, and they monitor patient care and prescribe prescription medications.

Nurse practitioners work within a defined scope of practice, and they work in collaboration with other health professionals. Having more nurse practitioners in our health services will allow us to provide innovative and flexible health care for patients. The role of nurse practitioner expands the scope of practice appropriately for trained nurses to undertake.

Nurse practitioners are currently working in a number of areas, including emergency, palliative care, mental health, cardiac failure, orthopaedics and diabetics. In South Australia 51 nurse practitioners have been endorsed since the role started in 2002. This has been a good result, but we want to have more.

The 'every patient every service' policy, announced by the government in the last election, promised 80 two-year scholarships over four years, with specific attention to clinical service health reform areas. In developing the nurse practitioner scholarships and support scheme, information and cooperation was gained from course coordinators from our three universities in Adelaide and, consequently, the number of scholarships that will be offered will exceed the 80 that have been promised and will be expanded to three years to enable part-time study as well.

The scholarship scheme is designed to support recipients throughout their studies by reimbursing all course fees and relevant costs, including textbooks, travel and accommodation for rural students and clinical placements if they are required. In the first round of 40 scholarships the priority areas identified for 36 recipients are in palliative care, aged care, emergency departments and cancer services. Another four scholarships are awarded in other areas of need: diabetes, paediatric, gastroenterology, chronic heart disease and youth health.

The scholarship recipients work across the state and they include: seven at the Royal Adelaide Hospital; five at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital; two each at Modbury, Noarlunga and Flinders hospitals; four at Mount Gambier Hospital; two in the South-East rural community services; three in the Riverland; and one each for Port Pirie, Roxby Downs, Woomera, Whyalla and the Adelaide Hills palliative care—so right across South Australia.

Under last year's commonwealth budget measure, nurse practitioners have been able to access prescribing arrangements under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from 1 November last year. The role of nurse practitioner has become an integral position within the Australian healthcare system. Where nurse practitioner services are available, those roles gain strong local support and add value to existing health services. They demonstrate the changing nature of the health workforce. More and more of these roles that bridge a range of traditional roles are being formed; nurse practitioner is just one of those.

These scholarships are one of the many ways that we have, as a department in SA Health, to encourage nurses and midwives to further their professional lives and, of course, there is an obvious benefit to our healthcare system. I am very pleased that we have been able to make this announcement and I congratulate the winners of those scholarships, as I am sure all members here would join me in doing.