Enabling a nurse led clinic

Murchison Medical Clinic received funding through Murray PHN’s General Practice Investment Strategy, to see whether a nurse-led clinic could increase the clinic’s capacity for care planning and health prevention appointments.

The clinic now has a dedicated chronic disease management nurse and GP schedules are planned to ensure adequate time is allocated to patients. The patient’s documentation is reviewed and updated before they are seen, and advanced bookings are made with the doctor’s recommendations. The practice ensures the patient is supported, with a recall system and the use of PenCAT, a GP clinical audit tool.

With more time dedicated to care planning, the nurse-led model has enabled a more thorough approach to patient wellbeing. The number of care plans and reviews has increased, and patients have reported improvements in their understanding of their chronic conditions.

The project was led by practice manager Rachel Smith, alongside practice nurses, Keira Birchmore and Ellen Wright. Three patient ‘edutainment’ videos were also developed as part of the project, and you can watch these below:

Note, Oother practices are welcomed to use these videos and the production company can provide quotes for customisation. To enquire about this, contact Anthony Darvill via email ant@77productions.com.au or by calling 03 8658 4299.

For questions relating to this project, email Murchison Medical Clinic: nurse@murchmc.com.au or contact Murray PHN at: gpsupport@murrayphn.org.au

To read more general practice good news stories, see our annual Report to the Community on the key documents webpage. For more resources visit our general practice webpage.

Published: May 21st, 2024