A change in nurses’ and other health and social care professionals’ training leads to them performing some of the roles currently performed by doctors’. This is driven by a need to improve efficiency, provide a cost-effective service, and  deliver high-quality care.

There are historical trends of nurses increasingly taking a leading role in some areas of care such as hygiene and infection control. This is likely to continue. The role of the doctor focuses more on diagnoses, treatment, certain technical procedures, and managing complex teams and systems. A standardised model of service delivery is needed.

Proposed workforce impact

• Potential increase in numbers of nurses and other health and social care professionals
• Potential reduction in numbers of doctors.
• Potential changes to the training pathway for care professionals

Sources or references

 

• Workforce Service Reviews, Health Workforce New Zealand http://www.healthworkforce.govt.nz/
• Brook & Crouch, (2004), Doctors and nurses in emergency care: where are the boundaries now, Trauma, 6,3, 211

Additional research questions

• What are the skill mix trends in other countries?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.