The rise of the nurse practitioner in aged care

EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF OUR WORKFORCE MEANS BETTER SERVICES FOR OLDER AUSTRALIANS

Central Coast aged care provider Peninsula Villages is combating post pandemic issues experienced in the sector by championing the role of a Nurse Practitioner.

The not-for-profit organisation sees the Nurse Practitioner role as a conduit to a multidisciplinary aged care team that improves health outcomes for its residential community.

Nurse Practitioners are Registered Nurses who have authority to practice independently and collaboratively in an expanded clinical role. They consult with their nursing peers, medical specialists, general practitioners and allied health professionals to provide quality, holistic care to their patients.

Leanne Northrop is Peninsula Villages’ Nurse Practitioner who has witnessed first-hand the benefits of the role within an aged care setting.

“Peninsula Villages values the Nurse Practitioner role as it encourages collaboration and provides capacity to improve the health of residents through our ability to prescribe, order pathology, refer and diagnose,” explained Leanne. “Carers and clinicians can be overwhelmed with administrative tasks as well as clinical responsibilities and they need practical, timely and effective support from someone with the knowledge to act efficiently, which is where the Nurse Practitioner role comes in and has significant value. “We take a proactive approach to knowing each resident’s health challenges, provide ongoing monitoring and

Leanne Northrop is an advocate for Nurse Practitioners in aged care. management while taking into account individuals’ choice and decision-making rights.” The purpose of implementing the Nurse Practitioner role in Australia was to increase the flexibility of the health workforce and thereby increase access to care for Australian communities, particularly those in marginalised populations. Within the age services industry, the Nurse Practitioner role is proving to be an innovative way to fulfill the primary health care role, particularly for a sector faced with reduced funding and decreasing access to general practitioners.

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“It is rewarding to know the multidisciplinary team is strengthened by the Nurse Practitioner role. Doctors who choose to work in aged care are part of that team, but often their time is limited and they work off-site. This can create delays in delivery of appropriate care and medical oversights that we can fill,” said Leanne.

“My role as a Nurse Practitioner is adding value to the Peninsula Villages community by bolstering the team’s ability to deliver person-centred care and additionally, offering support by upskilling.”

CEO of Peninsula Villages, Colin Osborne, said the organisation already has a graduate Registered Nurse program but is looking to grow a team of Nurse Practitioners as part of its strategic plan.

“We are looking at possibilities to grow the Nurse Practitioner team to provide in-house emergency care, planned predictable primary care to independent living, low and high care, as well as innovative programs for falls prevention and selfmanagement of comorbidities,” said Colin.

“As Peninsula Villages’ Nurse Practitioner, Leanne is pivotal in our plan for the future to provide better care for our residents in an efficient and proactive manner. “Seeing up to 50 residents a week, Leanne has been able to reduce hospital admissions, expedite medication and referral assessments and support families and residents with end-oflife plans, which has been of particular importance during the pandemic with the local health system under pressure.”

The role and the collaborative potential of Nurse Practitioners is still poorly understood by some in the medical fraternity and other health professionals. After 20 years, there are still only 2,000 Nurse Practitioners in Australia.

“Aged care is a worthy, challenging specialty. I’m proud to be an aged care Nurse Practitioner as I love being a conduit for the insightful, capable carers and clinicians who together help address residents’ unique needs,” said Leanne.

“I’m passionate about my role and am an advocate for the integration of Nurse Practitioners in aged care. There should be many more organisations like Peninsula Villages that consider this to be an integral function of residential aged care communities.”

Peninsula Villages. For more information visit www.peninsulavillage.com.au

SUPPORTING AGED CARE PROVIDERS

Aged Care in Australia is a fast evolving and dynamic industry, where Approved Providers have learned to “expect the unexpected”. With stretched internal resources, and increasing demand for accountability and governance, there may be times when you need support. Aged Care Advisory Services has a range of skills and expertise, and exists to support Approved Providers when you need it most.

agedcareadvisor@bigpond.com www.agedcareadvisoryservice.com.au

MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN CONSTRUCTION.

For over 27 years, TOTAL has embraced growth, diversity and transformation in Aged Care whilst delivering high-quality environments. With over 40 specialist care homes under our belt, we have the knowledge, experience and understanding to deliver homes on time, to budget and to the quality expected by our clients and aged care consumers. At TOTAL we are committed to building communities that consumers and their families are proud to call home.

SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERING

Edensor Gardens, NSW

Design and Construct

Our experience in delivering aged care homes nationally offers providers valuable insight into the modern requirements of an aged care home construction, which aligns with ACQS (5). Our ability to interpret a client’s expectations into a fully functional aged care home is reflected by the number of our repeat clients. With a team approach, TOTAL appreciates and responds to the sector’s unique requirements. We work tirelessly to understand our clients’ needs and vision whilst ensuring the people you care for remain at the centre of the development outcomes.

Our specialist teams can provide full or part refurbishments that comply with evolving industry standards and offer a fresh new look and a compliant environment. TOTAL has successfully delivered a range of expanded and redesigned operational care homes, often under complex circumstances.

The experienced team can assist with future property planning and offer a network of support professionals to make the process seamless and stressfree for your business, staff, and valued consumers.

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Refurbishments / Extensions

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