A budget plan to fund more nurses to work in GP clinics could entice nurses burnt out in the public hospital system back into the profession, the Australian Nursing Federation says.
It's been reported the Rudd government will offer funding for a nurse to all of the nation's medical practices, in an attempt to boost patient care outside of hospitals.
Clinics would receive $25,000 per GP to fund a nurse practitioner regardless of their location.
Currently incentive payments are restricted to rural and regional areas.
Nursing federation secretary Ged Kearney says it would be "fantastic" if the money is in Tuesday's budget.
There might not be enough nurses to meet initial demand but the extra funding could entice people back into the profession, she said.
"There are up to 40,000 nurses who have left nursing," she said.
"One of the main reasons is burnout in the public hospital system.
"But working in a general practice might just be the incentive to come back."
Block funding would allow nurses to practice to the full extent of their skills because they wouldn't be restricted to procedures funded by Medicare, Ms Kearney said.
"And they won't need the GP to look over their shoulder every five minutes and rubber-stamp what it is that they do."
The nurses' secretary isn't sure if a clinic with three doctors, that therefore received $75,000, could cover a full wage.
But practice nurses increased a clinic's ability to generate income, she said, so they'd probably "top up" salaries.
Doctors like the idea too. Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) chairman Emil Djakic says nurses allow GPs to "build their business case for working with chronic disease patients".
Everyone could be a winner - patients, doctors and nurses.
"Getting nursing as an asset to work with GPs in a practice team we see as a very strong step forward for primary healthcare," Dr Djakic said.
An Australia Institute survey released on Monday found the public was "strongly supportive" of an expanded role for nurses.
Seventy per cent of respondents said they'd be happy to see a nurse practitioner instead of a doctor in order to obtain a medical certificate.
"Nurse practitioners" are different to "practice nurses". They're more highly qualified and can prescribe drugs and order tests.
But still, the survey is indicative of attitudes towards the profession.
Some 72 per cent of respondents said they'd be happy to receive a repeat prescription from a nurse practitioner, while 44 per cent would be referred to a medical specialist by one.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon flagged the changes in a speech on Friday.
Practice nurses would "play a key role" in the government's reform agenda, she said.
In 2009, there were around 9000 practice nurses working in Australia. Some 60 per cent of clinics employed a nurse.
An AGPN survey released earlier this year found the clinics which didn't employ one blamed a lack of incentive pay and rooms for them to work in.
A quarter of practices without a nurse complained they couldn't access incentive payments targeting rural and remote areas.
Just over 17 per cent blamed "a lack of sufficient space".
On Friday, Ms Roxon said the government was committed to tackling those obstacles.
"I won't give you any budget scopes today," she said.
"(But) let me just say we have kept these (survey findings) firmly in mind."
It's expected the budget will include hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure payments for general practices to build additional rooms.
Liberal senator Gary Humphries says the government can't be trusted to make any decent decisions to affect the quality of healthcare.
"The quality of their decisions in areas like home insulation and school halls are so poor," he told reporters.
"So you've got to ask yourself, can they really spend money effectively in any other area of public policy?"
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