Real nurse clinics
Learn from nurses and services building nurse clinics in primary care
Across Australia, nurses are designing and delivering nurse clinics that respond to local health needs. These examples show what nurse clinics can look like in different settings, including general practice, schools, community health, correctional health and rural or regional communities.
Use these case studies, videos, podcasts and articles to explore what other nurses have tried, what they learned and how they approached planning, funding, teamwork, patient engagement and evaluation.
The information in each case study reflects the service at the time it was developed. Funding models, MBS items and local arrangements may have changed, so always check current requirements before applying an approach in your own setting.
"I feel really proud to be a part of that and to promote anything that's nurse-led in the community, I think is a wonderful opportunity as a nurse. Do it, set up, go to set up a clinic."
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Wound Care Nurse Clinic, Port Macquarie NSW
Financial Viability of Nurse Clinics
Diabetes Group Clinic, Alstonville NSW
Cancer Screening Nurse Clinic, Newman WA
Kyabram Skin Cancer Nurse Clinic
Pulmonary Exercise and Education Clinic
Building Nurse Capacity Success Stories - 2023-6
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Healthy Ageing in Coffs Harbour
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Healthy Ageing in Kingscliff
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Diabetes Care in Collarenebri
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Caring for Mums and Bubs in Lismore
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Cancer Screening at Newman Community Centre
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Alstonville Diabetes Group
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Nurse perspectives on enablers and barriers to clinic implementation and sustainability
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Mental Health and Wellbeing in Berry Springs
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Kyabram Skin Cancer Screening
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Healthy Hearts in Long Flat
- Nurse Clinic Case Study-Healthy Ageing in Port Macquarie
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Clinic
Coffs Medical Centre in NSW established a cardiovascular disease prevention clinic in response to an identified need in their community. The clinic was implemented and is run by an Enrolled Nurse with extensive experience in chronic disease management, supervised by a Registered Nurse.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Clinic, QLD
Christine Brown is a registered nurse in rural NSW. 18 months ago, her practice had 906 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients registered with only 30% attending a regular health check. With high levels of chronic disease and a lower life expectancy than other groups in the area, Christine made a commitment to help.
Preventative Health Risk Screening and Nurse Health Coaching, VIC
Four practices located in Western Victoria took part in a 12 month project intended to increase nurse-led multi-disease risk screening, improve the documentation of risk factors and promote the early detection of chronic disease
Chronic Heart Failure Nurse Clinic Project, WA
Chronic Heart Failure is a key priority for the Western Australian Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA). The Chronic Heart Failure Nurse Clinic Project focuses on collaborative, integrated action on chronic heart failure.
Breathe Easy, Breathe Safe Project, QLD
The Breathe Easy, Breathe Safe Project is targeted towards a collaborative model of care between the acute and primary health care sectors aiming to improve asthma and COPD management within the Mackay region.
Healthy Ageing in a Prison Service, VIC
Langi Kal Kal Medical is located in the Prison service in Trawalla, fifty kilometers outside of Ballarat. A Healthy Ageing Clinic for prisoners with chronic health conditions was established with the aim of improving the health of the prisoner population using preventative measures.
The Wellness Clinic, NSW
The Wellness Family Medical Centre established a self-management wellness clinic for patients with identified chronic disease. The region where the practice is located includes a high population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who experience a significantly lower life expectancy compared to the rest of NSW. The clinic focused on improving patients’ health literacy and encouraging lifestyle changes to allow them to manage their own health more effectively.
Iron Infusion Clinic, VIC
Junction Place Medical Centre is based in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. An iron infusion clinic was established with the goal of ensuring patients had better access to iron infusion treatment, in a timely manner, at a reasonable cost.
Men’s Health Clinic, TAS
Cygnet Family Practice is located in the picturesque Huon Valley in Tasmania, just under one hour’s drive south of Hobart. The Practice established two Men’s Health Outreach Nurse Clinic models at Duggans Earthworks, Concrete and Quarry Supplies and at Cygnet RSL.
Perinatal Clinic, NSW
In response to campaigns encouraging new parents to seek mental health support, Busby Medical saw an increase in presentations. Whilst it was encouraging to see struggling new parents seek support, the demand was becoming far greater than local services in Busby could supply. Busby Medical saw an opportunity to fill this gap with a nurse-delivered perinatal clinic.
Cardiovascular Prevention Nurse Clinic, NSW
My Health; My Choice Nurse Clinic, VIC
Bowel Cancer Nurse Clinic, QLD
Nurses Who Upskill Podcast with Lead Nurse Di
Listen to an interview with nurse Di Mears on our Nursing Australia podcast explaining the establishment of a cardiovascular nurse clinic at her practice. Recorded on 10 June 2021.
Improve Your Heart Health Nurse Clinic, QLD
Better Access to Care Podcast with Lead Nurses Mary and Clee
Listen to an interview with nurses, Mary Vu and Clee Beath. This podcast explores initiatives which provide better access to care and address an identified need to reduce waiting times for treatment. Recorded on 2 March 2022.
Memory Health Clinic, VIC
Wound Clinic, VIC
Read more about nurse clinics, implementation and lessons from practice
These articles from APNA’s Primary Times and related publications provide background, examples and practical insights into nurse clinics.
They are useful if you are:
- Exploring whether a nurse clinic could work in your setting.
- Preparing a business case.
- Looking for examples to share with your practice team.
- Wanting to understand what helps nurse clinics succeed.
Setting up a nurse clinic: The building blocks for success
APNA’s Enhanced Nurse Clinics project identifies the key factors that influences the growth of nurse clinics within a primary health care setting
Setting up a nurse clinic: The building blocks for success — Linda Govan, APNA, 2017.
Nurse clinics: Optimising community access to primary health care
Australia’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic saw its primary health care (PHC) system stretched to the limit. Stories abound of members of the community struggling to find a local GP, particularly in rural and regional areas. In this environment, surely it is time to embrace innovation and expand the adoption of nurse-delivered team-based models of care.
Expanding nurse clinics across PHC settings
As the health-care needs of Australians continue to change, and we adapt to a post-pandemic health-care environment, the burden of chronic conditions is adding pressure to an already stressed and overwhelmed health care system.
Enabling factors for nurse clinics
Over the last 10 years, APNA’s Building Nurse Capacity program has supported almost 100 primary health care organisations around Australia to set up team-based, nurse-delivered clinics that improve access to health care for their local communities.
Enabling factors for nurse clinics — Margaret Dempsey and Linda Govan, Primary Times Summer 2025–6.
Caring for the rural community
Haley Hodgson is a proud Bundjalung woman who is on the path to becoming a nurse practitioner. She owns and operates Maclean Medical, on Yaegl Country, in the small town of Maclean in northern New South Wales. We caught up with Haley to hear about her nurse-led initiatives and the person-centred care she and her team provide for their community.