What we've been up to so far in 2018

We are about to move into one of the most exciting times of the year for APNA as we countdown to our Nurseforce for the Future conference in Brisbane this May. Before we move onto our mid-year activities, we know it’s important to let you know what APNA has been doing for you.

Author: Karen Booth, APNA President

Nurses are the most numerous and geographically widespread health professional group in Australia, and the demand for nurses in primary health care is growing at a steady rate. In some locations nurses are the only locally based health professional available on a regular basis and the services and support they provide to their communities is of immense value. APNA has been lobbying hard for further government funding to extend the great work being done in the Nursing in Primary Health Care program. The APNA executives and I met with Health Minister Hon. Greg Hunt MP in January. Minister Hunt was very supportive of the work being done by APNA and we’ve had subsequent meetings with the Department of Health to progress the Nursing in Primary Health Care funding proposal.

The APNA hotline is receiving many enquiries each week from general practitioners, managers and primary health care organisations wanting to know more about how to better utilise the skills of nurses. We are getting a lot of enquiries regarding the set up of nurse clinics especially now that the Health Care Homes pilots are in full swing and many Primary Health Networks are setting up patient-centred care models in their areas. APNA continues to support innovative models of care.

APNA Board members Melissa Cromarty and Jane Bollen are right in the heart of the action. Read about their input into the Health Care Homes education and implementation programs in this issue. APNA will continue to keep our members updated on the activities in Health Care Homes. There are many synergies between the activities and education programs that APNA has developed to support primary health care nurses and the new models of patient care.

Keeping up with the innovation theme in this issue we have an interview with Mark Yates, a geriatrician, who, along with the APNA Nursing in Primary Health Care pilot program, has supported the nurse-led Memory Health Service in Ballarat. We are entering the final stages of the current round of Nursing in Primary Health Care programs. There is a lot of interest from the government and Primary Health Networks in APNA’s Transition to Professional Practice Program. APNA can boast an outstanding 92% retention rate for its participants and training is delivered at a much more cost-efficient rate than many similarly aimed tertiary sector programs.

A major achievement of the Transition to Professional Practice Program has been the level of interest from established primary health care nurses in mentoring new nurses. Mentoring has a two-way benefit. As a
mentor by supporting new nurses to recognise and develop their skills, you get to share your knowledge and expertise as well feel a sense of pride in the brilliant work you do in primary health care. Demand for the Foundations in Primary Health Care Nursing has also been high with our roadshow workshops selling out.

Along with Autumn comes election time for the APNA Board. Last year saw the largest pool of candidates and the biggest voter turnout ever! APNA has grown and matured into a sophisticated key organisation and the peak body for nurses in primary health care. The APNA Board sets the strategic direction for our organisation. I encourage you to think about how you might contribute to the high-level governance and consider nominating for the APNA Board.

'I encourage you to think about how you might contribute to the high-level governanace and consider nominating for the APNA Board'

It’s now only a few weeks until the social and educational event of the year, the APNA Nurseforce of the Future conference will be held in Brisbane from 10 to 12 May. The full program, including the pre-conference workshops is available on the APNA website and I look forward to seeing many of you there. The APNA workshop for Primary Health Networks is also booking up very quickly. It is the perfect opportunity for national Primary Health Network project officers to network and attend top-class educational events tailored to their needs as well as meet other APNA members and gain insights from real experiences of primary health care nurses.