department of
health and community services

media release

Recruiting, retaining and educating our nurses and midwives

Wednesday, 30 April 2008

A Nursing and Midwifery Futures Forum will be held tomorrow to identify a strategy for recruiting, retaining and educating nurses and midwifes in the Territory up until 2018.

The summit will address future workforce issues including models of practice for primary health and acute care, training and recruitment of nurses and midwives, investing in health research and the governance of clinical systems.

Principal Nursing Adviser and Forum Chair Greg Rickard says a shortage of health and welfare professionals nationally and internationally continues to put our health services under pressure.

“We need to create a strategy to determine what nursing and midwifery services in the NT will look like ten years from now.

“Our focus should be to increase the number of nurses and midwives and increase their role in primary health care, illness prevention and health promotion.

“By responding now we will be well placed to create a viable and sustainable profession that can offer the highest quality services to our clients,” he says.

Media inquiries: Cameron Jackson 0401 116 144