Nurse Practitioners New Zealand commends Prime Minister Luxon and Health Minister Simeon Brown for publicly acknowledging the need for, and committing to, increased funding for our strained healthcare system.
Further investment into the Primary Healthcare workforce and implementing actions to increase access to Primary Care clinicians are measures that will improve health outcomes across Aotearoa.
We would like to acknowledge the funding incentives announced on the recruitment of newly graduate registered nurses into the primary healthcare setting. We are pleased a focus is being given to rural healthcare services and encourage further discussion on the finer details of how this novice workforce will be supported and adequately mentored into the speciality of primary healthcare. We understand that an innovative lens needs to be applied to the nursing workforce development as we continue to support registered nurses to upskill into advanced nursing roles, such as registered nurse community prescribing and registered nurse designated prescribing.
As the national organisation that represents the Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioner workforce, we appreciate the formal public acknowledgment of the Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioner role and its capability to deliver high quality healthcare in any healthcare setting. It is important for there to be a clear understanding of the distinction between the autonomous role of the Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioner and registered nurses who prescribe. Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioners and General Practitioners provide excellent primary healthcare services across Aotearoa.
It is exciting that there are a growing number of Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioner owned and led general practices in New Zealand. At the patient facing level, we need to ensure that the Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioner role can work to the stated scope and intended capability in Primary Healthcare and urge the Prime Minister and Miniter of Health to remove barriers in Section 29 of the Medicines Act (1981). We welcome sector engagement with Nurse Practitioners New Zealand when considering new service development for example the 24/7 virtual general practice. This will ensure that the Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioner role is utilised to its full capability.
The Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioner role is an essential role across contemporary healthcare that increases access, reduces inequity and provides a blended model of care to meet patient, and whanau needs both in Primary Healthcare and secondary healthcare. While we experienced significant delays in commitment to funding the National Nurse Practitioner Training Program, we welcome the news that funding for this program will continue. It is exciting to hear that this program will have ongoing funding.
Unlike doctors, the Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioner workforce does not currently have access to funded post registration vocational training in the highly specialised general practice area. Moving forward it is essential that this workforce has access to funded post registration educational programs so that newly qualified Mātanga Tapuhi | Nurse Practitioners can deliver specialist services in their own right. We look forward to working further with the new Minister of Health on these important improvements.
