Fund for registered nurses and midwives with a health impairment
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) will fund a nationally consistent health support service for all registered nurses and midwives who are impaired or at risk of impairment. The service will also improve education and awareness about impairment among nurses and midwives.
In making its decision to fund the service, the NMBA considered an independent report informed by extensive consultation with stakeholders. The report was commissioned to:
- review the referral/notification, assessment, treatment, monitoring and rehabilitation for health practitioners with a health impairment (the management and support process), and
- define the role the regulator may play in supporting national health support programs, giving consideration to the National Law, as in force in each state and territory.
NMBA Chair, Dr Lynette Cusack RN, said that they look forward to partnering with an independent provider who has the right expertise to provide and to deliver this important service to nurses and midwives nationally on behalf of the NMBA.
The NMBA is now working with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) to develop a detailed model to determine the core services and the level of funding required. The NMBA will also continue to fund the existing Victorian Nurses and Midwives Health Program until the new service is established.
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