Primary health care nurses taking out the bins while patients wait for care

Media Release - 5 February 2025

On Primary Health Care Nurses Day (5 February), new data reveals half of the nation’s 98,000+ highly trained primary health care nurses are emptying bins and vacuuming rather than focussing on patient care.

Ken Griffin, APNA's Chief Executive Officer, said the data reveals a staggering waste of nursing skills.

“We know Australia has workforce shortages across the health system, yet we’re not using the skills and training of the nurses we already have,” Mr Griffin said.

“Highly trained primary health care nurses should be managing chronic disease, supporting mental health, and keeping people out of hospital—not taking out the bins. This is a big miss for Australia’s health care system.”

“When we underutilise nurses, we reduce access to care and increase pressure on hospitals.”

Primary Health Care Nurses Day recognises the highly skilled nurses working outside hospitals—in aged care, general practice, schools, and community health. These nurses are essential to managing chronic disease, delivering vaccinations, and preventing hospital admissions.

Yet, according to the latest APNA Workforce Survey of 3,058 nurses working outside hospitals:

• 50% regularly perform non-clinical cleaning tasks, such as emptying bins and vacuuming.
• In Queensland, this jumps to 61%.
• 30% say they rarely or never work to their full scope of practice.

This is despite these nurses averaging 21 years’ experience, 11 years in primary health care, and nearly half (43%) holding postgraduate qualifications.

On Primary Health Care Nurses Day, APNA is calling for commonsense policy changes, including:

• Adopting Scope of Practice review reforms to ensure nurses can work to their full expertise.
• Stronger accountability for the Workforce Incentive Payment, ensuring practices only claim for clinical care - provided by highly skilled nurses and allied health professionals.

“Nurses are ready to step up—we just need our political leaders to let them.” Mr. Griffin said.

Media contact:
Rebecca Burdick Davies – 0401 619 280

Primary health care nurses:

• Work in any community setting outside a hospital, including aged care, community health, general practice and schools
• Have an average 21 years’ experience in nursing
• Have an average of 11 years working in primary health care
• Are highly qualified, with nearly half (43%) holding a postgraduate qualification.

About APNA

The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) is the peak body and professional membership association for all nurses working outside of a hospital setting in Australia. APNA champions the role of primary health care nurses; to advance professional recognition, ensure workforce sustainability, nurture leadership in health, and optimise the role of nurses in patient-centred care.

APNA is bold, vibrant and future-focused. We reflect the views of our membership and the broader profession by bringing together nurses from across Australia to represent, advocate, promote and celebrate the achievements of nurses in primary health care.

APNA represents a significant and rapidly expanding workforce; primary health care nurses account for around one in eight of the 640,000 registered health professionals in Australia