This issues paper has been developed as part of the Unleashing the potential of our health workforce – Scope of Practice Review. This independent review focuses on health professionals who currently provide or have the potential to provide primary care, and explores the available evidence of the benefits, risks, barriers and enablers associated with health practitioners working to their full scope of practice. Full scope of practice means the professional activities that a practitioner is educated (skill/knowledge), competent and authorised to perform, and for which they are accountable.

A process of literature review and stakeholder consultation and analysis has been undertaken to date to collect evidence to support the review. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the evidence collected to date, outline the emerging themes from this evidence, and describe the direction and next steps for this review.

This is the first issues paper of two to be developed through this review. This paper will directly inform upcoming consultation during Phase 2 of the review and into the final report.