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.

The call has been cautiously backed by the RACGP, with president Dr Harry Nespolon saying the college would support nurses taking on this task as part of a GP-led team-based care arrangement. 

However, contraceptive counselling to help patients make an informed decision about opting for a long-acting method would have to be undertaken by a doctor, he added.