A women’s health group is calling for nurses to be allowed to claim Medicare items for the insertion and removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as implants and IUDs.

They say it could save patients and the government as much as $4.1 million over five years if one in five women see a nurse rather than a GP to start contraception with a long-acting progestogen injection, implant, copper or hormone-releasing IUD or to switch to one from an oral contraceptive pill.