Kim Moffat is a registered nurse working in the community health sector, and a valued member of North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network’s General Practice Expert Advisory Group (GPEAG).
She began her nursing career, in the mid-90s, in the operating theatre of Sydney Hospital, and continued as a theatre nurse for over a decade.
Then a serendipitous visit to a GP to confirm a pregnancy led to an offer to join the team. She has been in general and community health settings ever since, and currently works for Reservoir-based provider, Your Community Health.
“My role is less clinically hands on than it used to be,” she says.
“I love education, not only for myself but new staff and nurses in general practice. There has been a big gap until recently in this area. I also enjoy getting to know our patients. I love being able to walk through the waiting room and saying hello to people I have a relationship with.”
In recent years, she says, she has seen the role of nurses in general practice change substantially – and for the better.
“As nurses we have a lot more autonomy than we did 10 years ago,” she says.
“With advanced scope of practice, we can now perform things such as cervical screening, nurse immunisation, plastering and suturing and wound care. Many of these skills have led to nurse-led clinics enabling the GPs to spend more time with the more complex patients.”
For these and other reasons, she adds, the professional stigma that used to be attached to being a nurse in general practice has largely vanished.
“When I recruit now, most of the applicants are highly skilled hospital nurses trying to move away from the acute sector,” she says.
Community health practice, by definition, mirrors the community in which it operates, and the Reservoir clinic has a distinct client profile.
“We have a mix of chronic disease management, the elderly with wound care, and AOD matters,” she says. “Interestingly, we get very few to no childhood immunisations in our practice.”
Kim joined the GPEAG in October 2022 following a suggestion from one of Your Community Health’s directors. She did so because she thought it would be a good way to connect with others in the sector, and build a detailed understanding of issues in general practice.
And her expectations have been well met. She says she certainly recommends other practice nurses get involved with GPEAG if the opportunity arises.
“Absolutely, I have learnt a lot from the topics we have discussed, even when I haven’t been able to contribute at the time,” she says.
“It’s also a great way to connect with other health professionals in the wider general practice community and to get to build your relationship with your primary health network.”
To learn more about NWMPHN’s expert advisory groups, go to this page.
Current activities
GPEAG meets four times a year. At the most recent meeting members started planning for work in 2025 which will focus on primary care reforms, MyMedicare, and changes expected in the wake of the Federal election.
GPEAG also discussed the proposed bulk billing incentive increase and the impact on general practice and provided input into NWMPHN’s efforts to support general practice and staff working in residential aged care homes.
You can meet the nine GPEAG group members here.
