Investment in mental health for nurses and midwives

The Albanese government has invested $25.2 million to establish and run the National Nurse and Midwife Health Service to provide peer-to-peer support and referrals.

This new national support service will help Australia’s nurses and midwives, including students, to better manage their health and wellbeing with counselling and support services. This support aims to reduce increasing rates of fatigue, stress and burnout which we know have escalated since the start of the pandemic.

It will provide a welcoming, stigma-free entry point for nurses and midwives with a range of health issues, from stress management to quick assessment and referral to respond to mental health issues requiring additional services.

Ged Kearney, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, said, “This is about providing a familiar front door for nurses and midwives to be able to talk about their mental health concerns to their peers who just get it.”

The health service will employ registered nurses, enrolled nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives to offer free, confidential and independent advice, support, information, treatment and specialist referrals.

Telephone consultations will also form a significant part of the service, making support more accessible to nurses and midwives in regional and rural locations.

The aim of this service is to keep more nurses and midwives healthy and supported so that they can stay in the workforce and care for patients. This will help ease some pressure on the health and hospital system, and benefit other health professionals, families, communities and the public.

The new national service committed to in the 2022–23 Federal Budget is modelled on the successful Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria which has been operating since 2006.

Kearney said, “Our nurses and midwives contribute so much to our communities and it’s imperative that we support them to manage their health in a way that works for them. Expanding this program nationally is about providing that support in a welcoming, accessible way.”

Work will commence shortly on the national rollout framework, led by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation in consultation with the Australian and state and territory governments, key service providers and nursing peaks.

The service will operate through four central hub locations, including Victoria–Tasmania, New South Wales–Australian Capital Territory, South Australia–Western Australia, and Queensland–Northern Territory and additional regional offices.

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