APNA showcases Nurse Clinic success at RWAV conference

APNA’s Margaret Dempsey and Larter Consulting’s Mario Gupta recently took to the stage together at the 2026 RWAV Conference, sharing fresh insights into what helps regional general practices thrive through innovative nurse-led models of care.

Speaking under this year’s theme, Empowered Leaders, Stronger Healthcare, Marg and Mario unpacked the results of recent Financial Viability assessments conducted as part of APNA’s Building Nurse Capacity Nurse Clinic program. Their presentation explored the key ingredients that make nurse clinics not only clinically effective and great places to work, but also financially sustainable in the long term.

What makes a nurse clinic viable?

Their assessment identified several core elements consistently present in high-performing nurse clinics:

• An authorising, supportive leadership environment
  Nurses are empowered with the autonomy they need to make clinical decisions.

• Genuine buy‑in from GPs and practice managers
  Success grows when organisational leadership actively supports nurse-led models.

• Protected nurse time for clinical delivery
  Dedicated time ensures nurses can focus on delivering quality care without competing demands.

• Strong measurement and continuous quality improvement (CQI) systems
  Clinics that track their outcomes and refine their processes see stronger performance.

• A positive, collaborative team climate
  Healthy team dynamics foster better patient experiences and better workforce outcomes.

These findings reinforce what many regional practices already know: when nurses are allowed to work to their full scope of practice and empowered to establish nurse clinics, whole communities benefit.

You can view videos showcasing real nurse clinics and financial viability outcomes on APNA’s dedicated Nurse Clinic website.

Get in touch if you’d like to know how your PHN can support stronger multidisciplinary workforce models.