Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia - November 2024
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November 2024

Contents

Chair's message

The Nursing and Midwifery Board continues to focus on projects that boost our workforce, allow nurses and midwives to work to their full scope of practice and provide safe and effective care for all Australians.

We have been representing the NMBA at conferences across the country hosted by the Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia, Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, Australian College of Nurse Practitioners and Australian College of Nursing. In November, we also met in Canberra where we launched our Midwifery Futures report. You can learn more about our work to safeguard the profession in this issue.

I would like to thank two Board members who reached the end of their terms, and acknowledge their contribution to keeping the public safe. Annette Symes and Jennifer Woods have displayed great dedication throughout my time as Chair and assisted the NMBA to develop key strategic projects throughout their tenure.

As we approach the end of the year, we would like to recognise the important work our nurses and midwives do to ensure safe and effective care for the public. We know that many nurses and midwives work through the holiday period to meet Australia’s healthcare needs, and we thank you for all that you do.

Best wishes and happy holidays,

Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey
Chair, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

Veronica Casey

Priority news

Midwifery Futures outlines gaps and options to boost workforce

On Wednesday 23 October, the NMBA launched the Midwifery Futures report at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. 

The event, hosted by Professor Veronica Casey AO and attended by leaders in midwifery, marked a significant milestone for the profession in Australia.

The final report takes in the views of more than 3,000 midwives, 300 students and 70 educators as well as focus groups across the country to accurately predict future Australian midwifery workforce trends and grow the midwifery workforce.  

Commissioned by the NMBA to help safeguard the profession and the women and babies who rely on it, the Burnet Institute-led research is the largest study of Australian midwives so far and includes 32 recommendations to address the report’s key findings.

Action to deliver the report’s recommendations will grow the midwifery workforce, support greater workforce flexibility, develop leadership capacity and improve outcomes for the people our midwives serve.  

Read more about the project or download the final report on the Midwifery Futures website.

 

Removal of the collaborative arrangement for nurse practitioners and eligible midwives

From 1 November 2024, endorsed midwives and nurse practitioners can autonomously provide a range of Medicare services and prescribe certain Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) medications, in line with their skills, training and experience.

Board news

Review of Recency of practice registration standard

The NMBA is currently reviewing the Recency of practice registration standard.

Stakeholders will be able to provide feedback on the draft revised standards through public consultation in early 2025.

Update on the EN/RN Standards for practice review

Literature reviews, a gap analysis and high-level reviews of the enrolled nurse and registered nurse standards for practice have been completed as part of NMBA commissioned research with Monash University.

The research includes stakeholder interviews, carrying out additional research, and working to align its recommendations with the International Council of Nursing’s definition of nursing.

Stakeholder feedback on the draft revised standards will be sought through public consultation in mid to late 2025.

Spotlight

National Prescribing Competencies Framework review

Ahpra has been contracted by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department) to review the Prescribing Competencies Framework – Embedding quality use of medicines into practice, second edition (the framework).

The review aims to ensure the framework supports Quality Use of Medicines and that it:

  • remains fit for purpose, contemporary, efficient, accurate and reflects current and emerging trends in education and multi-profession practices, and
  • continues to describe competencies required to contribute to safe and person-centred prescribing.

The framework was originally developed and hosted by NPS MedicineWise. Published in April 2021, it describes the competencies and expectations for appropriate, safe and effective prescribing across relevant health professions.

Ahpra will be conducting targeted and public consultations in the next 12 months as part of the review.

The final updated version of the framework will be submitted to the Department for approval before publication.

While the framework will be hosted on the Ahpra website, the Department will continue to own the document as part of the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology Program.

Real-time prescription monitoring: prioritising patient safety

Harms resulting from misuse of high-risk prescription medicines, including death, are a significant and growing public health issue in Australia.

Real-time prescription monitoring (RTPM) is a digital tool that provides nurses and midwives with up-to-date information about all the monitored medicines a patient has been prescribed or dispensed. It enables safer clinical decision-making by identifying high-risk and potentially harmful situations, while still ensuring that health practitioners can prescribe or dispense these medicines to those who need them.

While RTPM is a useful source of information for reducing risk, it is not a replacement for clinical judgment. Nurses and midwives also need to be aware of their professional obligations, and comply with applicable state or territory legislation, when prescribing or dispensing monitored medicines.

Though RTPM is available in all states and territories, there are differences in the lists of monitored medicines as well as the circumstances that could cause an alert or a notification. Nurses and midwives are encouraged to visit their relevant state or territory RTPM system to stay informed about the latest updates.

The webpages for each state and territory’s RTPM system are listed below:

To access additional resources on the various RTPM systems in force in Australia, visit the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s RTPM webpage.

Information for practitioners who provide virtual care

Virtual care is a broad term for healthcare services provided by practitioners to patients through digital communication channels such as video calls, phone consultations, online messaging or similar, that allows them to interact with patients without a physical presence. It can include telehealth (telephone and video-enabled), telemedicine, tele-education, teletherapy, online prescribing and telemonitoring.

The Code of conduct for nurses and midwives defines the NMBA’s expectations for practitioner’s professional conduct, including the importance of maintaining a high level of professional competence in order to provide the best healthcare.

National Boards have developed a resource to help registered health practitioners understand how their existing standards, codes and guidelines apply when delivering safe and effective virtual care services.

Updates

Joint statement on family violence released by regulators

The joint media statement on family violence by regulators of health practitioners sets out our unified commitment to prioritise tackling family violence, and our expectations about health practitioner behaviour.

Health practitioners are often the first point of contact for people experiencing family violence. They have a vital role to play in the early detection, support, referral and specialised treatment of those experiencing family violence.

Health practitioners’ conduct must reflect the trust and confidence that the public place in them for safe healthcare. When we become aware of health practitioners perpetrating family violence, they may face regulatory action.

The joint statement is a collaboration between Ahpra, the National Boards, the Office of the Health Ombudsman, the Health Professional Councils Authority, NSW Councils and the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission.

The joint statement, and an Easy Read version, are available on the Ahpra website at Health practitioner regulators united: family violence is unacceptable.

The joint statement is being released during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. This starts on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day – highlighting that violence against women is a breach of human rights worldwide.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner registration reaches exciting milestone

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners registered with Ahpra hit 1,000 for the first time in September.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners are a unique profession founded on traditional values, complemented by modern medicine. They are clinical and cultural experts who build trust, practise cultural safety and bring an understanding which strengthens health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

They work autonomously or as part of a multidisciplinary team, providing a broad range of expertise in both primary and tertiary healthcare, from administering and supplying medications, to acute and chronic disease management and advocating for patients.

Their aim is to empower First Nations families and communities to make them feel welcome, safe and comfortable when using health services and to make self-determined decisions about their health and wellbeing. The profession, while small in number, is critical to ‘closing the gap’ by removing disparities in healthcare.

Bardi and Jabirr Jabirr woman Ms Iris Raye is Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia (ATSIHPBA). ‘This milestone is an honour to our trailblazers whose shoulders we stand on, and to recognise our key stakeholders and allies who champion this profession’, she said.

Ahpra congratulates the ATSIHPBA for ensuring practitioners are suitably trained, qualified and safe to practise, and for working collectively and collaboratively with the National Scheme and stakeholders to eliminate racism in healthcare.

Ahpra's annual report show progress in addressing workforce needs

Addressing workforce needs by getting more health practitioners safely registered faster and responding to new risks from emerging models of care are the highlights of the 2023/24 Ahpra annual report. 

At 30 June this year, there were 920,535 registered health practitioners in Australia, a 4.9 per cent increase, and 48.4 per cent more new overseas practitioners gaining registration than in the previous financial year.

For information about the NMBA’s work and data about our professions, visit the annual report page on our website.

Students and graduates

Graduates - apply for registration now!

If you’re studying to become a nurse or midwife and are about to finish your course, you can apply for registration now. Getting your application in early helps avoid any delays and helps get you into the workforce sooner. If you apply before you finish your study, we can start assessing your application while we wait for your graduate results.

Before you can start working as a nurse or midwife you have to be registered with the NMBA. Your application is managed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).

Easy steps to apply online:

1. Create your account using Ahpra’s online services and complete your application.
2. Upload your documents and pay the required fees. Check that you have provided all required documents to prove you’ve met the registration standards, including certified copies of your photo ID.
3. Wait for your education provider to provide your graduate results to Ahpra.

Handy hints to help you apply

• Watch our video to get your application right: Applying for graduate registration.
• As well as the video, you’ll find helpful advice, tips for avoiding common causes of delay, and downloadable information flyers on the Graduate applications page of the Ahpra website.
• Read our news item for more information about applying.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander graduates

Ahpra’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement and Support team is there to assist you through the registration process.

The support team consists of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, and they provide a one-on-one service. They can assist you to navigate the registration process, provide regular phone contact, and advise on any disclosures you made on your registration application (for example, about impairments) that the NMBA may need to consider.

The support team is committed to assisting you to get registered promptly so you can start making vital contributions to culturally safe healthcare for your communities. If, after reading the handy hints above, you would still like some help with your application for registration, please email the support team at mobengagementsupport@ahpra.gov.au.

Nursing and midwifery regulation at work: notification case studies

Enrolled nurse reprimanded for failing to meet professional responsibilities 

A tribunal has reprimanded an enrolled nurse and placed conditions on her registration after she failed to notify the NMBA in a timely manner that she had been charged with attempting to pervert justice.

Read more.

Keep in touch with the NMBA

  • Visit the NMBA website for registration standards, codes, guidelines and FAQs.
  • Lodge an online enquiry form.
  • For registration enquiries, call 1300 419 495 (from within Australia) or +61 3 9285 3010 (for overseas callers).
  • Address mail correspondence to: Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey AM, Chair, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne, VIC 3001.
 
 
Page reviewed 28/11/2024
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