KAREN BOOTH President, Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
General Practice funding needs reform after COVID-19 exposes weakness COVID-19 has uncovered some hard truths about
cutting staff and clinic hours.
the Australian health system and the way it is
More than 1,100 nurses replied to our initial
funded. For many primary health care nurses,
survey, with 29% reporting reduced hours and
it has been a particularly bitter experience.
7% saying they had lost their jobs. Incredibly, in
When APNA began surveying its members at the height of the pandemic back in March 2020, we discovered that general practices were being hit
the middle of a pandemic, nurses were actually losing work. APNA responded by lobbying the Australian
by a decline in patients who were fearful of
Government Department of Health to extend
catching the virus.
telehealth to general practice nurses so they
Some practices reacted to the drop in foot traffic and associated fall in episodic MBS billings by
could continue providing services to chronic disease patients. The Health Advocate • AUGUST 2020
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