18 May 2010

Walk in centre now open, and doling out the good gear

| johnboy
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Katy Gallagher has announced that following last week’s greet and grip with the federales the “nurse-led Walk-in Centre” (please, someone, a better name?) is now actually open for business.

And she’s dropped a bit of a bombshell to really get up the noses of the doctors:

“Today I’m also announcing an amendment to ACT medicines legislation that will now allow nurse practitioners to prescribe controlled medicines,” Ms Gallagher said.

“This amendment to the Medicines Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 will enable suitably qualified nurse practitioners to provide their patients with a wider range of treatment options.

“While the use of controlled medicines such as morphine and oxycodone is strictly regulated by legislation, it makes good sense for a nurse practitioner qualified and working in the field of palliative care to be able to prescribe morphine to a patient to relieve their pain.

“Nurse practitioners will be required to comply with all legislation to the same extent as doctors and dentists.

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Brilliant, because the answer to our health care woes is a protocol-driven, one-dimensional care model delivered by people with little to no training in clinical reasoning.

That will learn those evil doctors that force us to wait excessive periods to be seen with our minor ailments in an elaborate plan to increase their already excessive wealth.

Great news. Means that if someone goes to the walk-in centre thinking they just need advice when in fact they need a prescription medication, they won’t have to go elsewhere to get it.

I’d be quite happy to use this service. Doctors are too few and far between, too expensive, and don’t seem especially competent when they keep checking everything against the computer.

IMHO we don’t seem far off that scene from Idiocracy where the hospital had a computer with a childrens toy as the keyboard where you have pictograms of various symptoms. At least the nurses don’t slug you $30 on top of the medicare rebate to refer everything to the computer.

kean van choc10:03 pm 18 May 10

vg said :

The doling out of prescribed medication by non-doctors will last as long as it takes to complete the first coronial inquest

Using that logic, the doling of out of weapons by the government to police should have lasted as long as it took to complete the first coronial inquest…

I suppose it relieves the pressure on doctors, since we can’t get more doctor’s in Canberra, it’s a solution!

The doling out of prescribed medication by non-doctors will last as long as it takes to complete the first coronial inquest

(please, someone, a better name?)
Outpatient Center is a commonly used term overseas.
Though this often encompasses day surgery, minor procedures as well as the services offered by the Walk-in centre.

A good step in the right direction. Hope the health professionals running the place end up with livable shifts and have adequate security as they perform their services to the community.

Great to hear. Junkies can now go to a nurse for their daily hit of Oxycontin. Surely that is safe.

At least it might clear some space for the GPs to actually help someone who really can be helped.

But how long before nurses are off on stress leave after being threatened?

Waiting For Godot5:27 pm 18 May 10

Great. Now I won’t have to pay $58.00 for a GP visit just to get a prescription for my medication.

I’m sick (so to speak) of the always whingeing doctors.

This is a great step forward and I have absolute confidence that the nurses will do exactly what they have said they will achieve.

That’s tops. Sticks it up the doctors club nicely.

haha take that AMA!

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