The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) views recommendations in the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) interim report as a step towards real health reform, ensuring a better system of health for all Australians.

Our main concern with the current situation is lack of access to, and affordability of high quality, universal health care.

The NHHRC have taken that on board with their recommendations centering around a community focus that ultimately keeps people well and takes pressure off public hospitals. However, this requires bold moves and reform of funding and workforce practices. The report falls just short of that.

The recommendation to allow nurses to prescribe PBS subsidised drugs and Medicare funded diagnostic tests only where GPs are scarce e.g. in the bush, merely suggests a 'stop gap' approach rather than an integrated, overarching response to the problem.

"It is nonsense that people in metropolitan areas, who choose to see nurse practitioners, wouldn't have access to Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) rebates on the medicines they need, yet communities in the bush would," said Ged Kearney, ANF Federal Secretary.

"The idea of multidisciplinary primary health care centers is welcomed, but all health professionals, communities and individuals must have access to PBS subsidies and Medicare funding, if this is to work effectively and keep people well." Ms Kearney said.

Recommendations made around connecting care services through personal electronic health records were welcomed as was the dental health plans. The ANF welcomes funding in aged care to be directly linked to people's needs rather than beds/aged care places.

The report was comprehensive and the ANF will look closely at the detail and continue to work hard for our nurses and those people they care for.

The ANF, representing nearly 170,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses and midwives in Australia.

Australian Nursing Federation