Lutheran Services will expand its industry-leading nurse practitioner program to deliver improved clinical care to older Australians in rural and regional Queensland, following a $577,000 funding boost.
The 2.5-year investment, announced by the Country to Coast Queensland Primary Health Network (PHN), will support the employment of five specialist nurses across eight Lutheran Services aged care sites, including Gympie and Biloela.
Nurse practitioners are the most senior registered nurses in Australia, trained to Master’s level with advanced skills in diagnosing, prescribing and managing chronic conditions. Working alongside residents’ GPs, they can provide a level of clinical care often difficult to access in regional communities with limited doctor and hospital availability.
Lutheran Services Chief Executive Officer Nick Ryan said the organisation had pioneered the model in aged care since launching a pilot trial in Toowoomba and Laidley in 2021.
“The pilot was so successful that we expanded the program and recently appointed our fifth nurse practitioner,” Mr Ryan said.
“With most of our 11 aged care sites located outside metropolitan areas, we saw a clear need to provide high-level clinical care where access to doctors is limited. Enhancing quality of life through innovation is at the heart of all we do.”
Nick Ryan
The new funding allows Lutheran Services to appoint its first full-time nurse practitioner at Cooinda Aged Care in Gympie, while also supporting Wahroonga Aged Care in Biloela through regular visits and telehealth clinics. Additional investment in telehealth equipment, including ECGs and wound care cameras, will further expand access to advanced clinical services.
Lutheran Services’ first nurse practitioner, now Chief Clinician Mel Wagner, leads and mentors the growing team. She said the funding recognised how advanced nursing practice could transform aged care outcomes, particularly in rural settings.
“Our program is a proven model of care that is attracting interest from other providers,” Ms Wagner said. “Nurse practitioners reduce avoidable hospital admissions, support GPs stretched in regional areas, and deliver complex care such as diagnostics, prescribing, wound management and palliative care. We have seen significant benefits for residents with chronic and complex needs, and families have welcomed the model.”
The program will also provide detailed data to the Federal Government on the impact of nurse practitioners in aged care, highlighting potential savings to the public health system.
Celebrating 90 years of service in 2025, Lutheran Services is one of Queensland’s longest-established not-for-profit aged care and community service providers.
