Nurse Practitioner IM/NPACT Tasmania
Evaluating Aged Care Nurse Practitioners Models
Overview
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre received funding from the Australia government (the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA)) to develop, test, and evaluate a model of practice for nurse practitioners in aged care (July 2011-June 2014). The UTAS innovative mixed model combines a health service based Aged Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) practice (60%) with independent ACNP practice (40%) with a specialist dementia focus. The ACNP will provide specialist nurse dementia services to the Tasmanian Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Services (DBMAS) and a UTAS Wicking Centre initiative, the Nurse-Led Memory Clinic. The ACNP practice will also work in collaboration with the southern Tasmanian Lauderdale Doctors Surgery and will include consultations in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), GP surgeries, and in the community.
The Commonwealth developed the Nurse Practitioner – Aged Care Models of Practice Program to:
- Demonstrate effective, economically viable and sustainable models of practice;
- Facilitate the growth of the aged care nurse practitioner workforce; and
- Improve access to primary health care for clients in residential and community aged care services.
UTAS is committed to supporting the achievement of the above objectives within this project. Additionally, the objectives of the UTAS project are to:
- Improve access to primary health services for older persons, particularly those with dementia.
- Improve access to dementia and other mental health services for patients in RACF and community settings with improved patient outcomes.
- Increase health care system capacity to support the rapidly increasing numbers of people with dementia and their carers.
- Demonstrate a sustainable, and professionally supported, combination ACNP role which adds value to the specialist dementia services with the provision of cost-effective holistic primary care, while providing independent practice opportunities.
Funders
This project is an Australian government initiative.
Research Team
The WDREC IM/NPACT investigators are:
- Dr Christine Stirling - CI
- Hazel Ryan, Nurse Practitioner Aged Care
- Melinda Minstrell, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Contact Person)
- Dr Martin Morrissey, Old Age Psychiatrist (DHHS)
- Professor Andrew Robinson
Collaborators
Older Persons Mental Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services
Lauderdale Doctors Surgery - Dr John Saul, Dr Cath Jenneret, Tim Jackson (Partners) and associates.