The Nationals Federal Conference has backed two key health policy recommendations to alleviate workforce issues in Regional Australia, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Anne Webster says.

The Conference unanimously supported reintroducing a stronger “on the job” hospital-based nurse education requirement for regional nursing students, which would allow students to study and start work earlier as a trainee in a hospital-based apprenticeship.

Currently, Australian nursing students must complete a minimum of 800 hours of clinical placements throughout their course. By contrast, in the United Kingdom students spend half of their study hours, totalling 2300 hours, in practice.

“The Nationals are calling on the Federal Government to modify nursing training degrees so that paid practical training is undertaken in a hospital setting for a minimum of two years,” Dr Webster said. “Students who train in the regions stay in the regions, so building that capacity will in turn bolster nursing numbers outside of the capital cities.”

The conference also backed increasing the number of general practitioners in regional Australia by capping Medicare Provider Numbers in oversupplied metropolitan areas and encouraging doctors to take up provider numbers in rural, regional and remote Australia. The Nationals’ policy will include an activity test as some regions appear, at first glance, to have more full-time practising GPs than they do because some MPN holders practising in that area are part-time or simply hold a provider number but do not practice there. The activity test will ensure that enough provider numbers are issued in regional Australia to ensure adequate full-time equivalent GPs in regions.

“One of the key outcomes of the Mildura Regional Health Workforce Summit I convened in March was identifying the need for policy that makes moving to the regions viable for doctors and all health professionals,” Dr Webster said.

“Labor bled the regions of doctors through expanding the Distribution Priority Areas for International Medical Graduates – 57% in the first 6 months since it was changed. The Nationals’ policies endorsed on the weekend will help turn the tide to have doctors returning to our regional communities.

“These two recommendations are a sample of a comprehensive suite of policies that are sensible, practical measures to boost our regional workforce and are the result of months of policy development and consultation. I will continue to push for better health outcomes for regional people so that one day a person’s postcode does not determine their health status.”