Urgent care in Australia: Unblocking nurse practitioner capacity to address systemic access issues

• Australia faces patient access challenges, in regional and rural areas, due to mandatory on-site doctor requirements. • Australian NPs are qualified, nationally regulated, autonomous practicing consistent with international advanced nursing standards. • International professional bodies support revising policies to enable NP-led access models, which have proven successful internationally. • Policy reform is critical to unlocking the full potential of the NP workforce and addressing healthcare system pressures in Australia and globally.