The Department of Health and Aged Care has announced the development of an Australian-first workforce strategy to support the country’s nurses.
Announcing the National Nursing Workforce Strategy, the Department said the strategy would set out a vision for the future of nursing in Australia and support nurses to address the health and aged care needs of the Australian community.
“There are around 420,000 nurses registered in Australia – this is more than 40 per cent of the total health workforce,” the Department said.
“However, there has never been a national strategic approach to nursing policy and investment,” it said.
“Nurses are a highly qualified and skilled workforce.”
The Department said the strategy would look at workforce sustainability; diversity of the profession; regional, rural, and remote nursing challenges; the pathway from novice to expert; workforce planning; and data sharing.
It said the strategy’s development would take into account reforms happening across Australia’s health and aged care workforce, including primary care, mental health, First Nations health and rural and remote workforce.
“The strategy will provide for nurses to work to their full scope of practice to address Australia’s health and aged care needs,” it said.
The Department said it was early stages of developing the Strategy and public consultation had not yet commenced.
