Landmark new laws scrapping the Nurse Practitioner (NP) Collaborative Arrangement will come into effect on Friday in an expansion of the professions’ scope of practice.

Following legislation passing through Federal Parliament in May, as of 1 November, NPs will have greater autonomy to prescribe medicine and provide Medicare services without a GPs’ tick of approval.

Currently, NPs and endorsed midwives are not allowed to autonomously provide services under Medicare or prescribe Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines without the supervision of a medical practitioner.

But from Friday, the need for a GP’s sign-off is no longer required.

The changes were designed to remove barriers to care, particularly in rural and remote areas, and to support healthcare professionals work to their full scope of practice.

Australian College of Nurse Practitioners CEO Leanne Boase said the change will enable more people to access funding and subsidies, as well as improving the affordability of care.

Read more at RACGP >>

Read statement from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation >>