Nursing and Aboriginal health workers

The nursing and Aboriginal health worker service group comprises Medicare-subsidised services provided by a nurse practitioner, practice nurse, midwife or Aboriginal health worker.

In Australia, there were over 4 million Medicare-subsidised services provided to 2 million people (7.9% of Australians) by nurses and Aboriginal health care workers in 2022–23. This included:

  • 3 million services from a practice nurse or Aboriginal health worker.
  • One million services from a nurse practitioner service.
  • 200,000 midwifery services.

The proportion of people who received a Medicare-subsidised nursing and Aboriginal health workers service increased with age. Those living in regional Primary Health Networks (PHN) (between 8% to 14%) were more likely to receive a Medicare-subsidised subsidised nursing and/or Aboriginal health worker service compared to metropolitan PHNs (3% to 10%) (Figure 8).  

Figure 8: Proportion of people who had a Medicare-subsidised service provided by a nurse practitioner, practice nurse, midwife or Aboriginal health worker, by PHN area, 2022–23

Figure 8 shows that the PHN with the highest proportion was Northern Territory (14%). The lowest proportion was in Central and Eastern Sydney (3.3%).

Chart: AIHW. Sources: AIHW analysis of Department of Health and Aged Care, MBS claims data; ABS ERP.

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