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What is the Canadian Nurse Practitioner Initiative (CNPI)?
The CNPI came about through the efforts of the Nurse Practitioner Planning Network (NPPN), a Canada-wide group representing nursing stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, professional associations and governments. The NPPN was responsible for designing the proposal that was submitted to (and later accepted by) Health Canada's Primary Health Care Transition Fund.
The CNPI was established to develop a national framework to further the implementation, integration and sustainability of the role of the nurse practitioner (NP) in primary health-care settings across Canada.
To do this, we created a governance structure that includes the CNPI Advisory Committee and five working groups, called task forces, representing the varied stakeholders from the nursing community (including regulators, educators, associations and NPs), government, employers and health-care professionals such as physicians and pharmacists.
The initiative is being managed by CNA, whose Executive Director Lucille Auffrey chairs the CNPI Advisory Committee. Together, it is our hope that we'll develop recommendations for mechanisms and processes to support the integration and sustainability of the NP role in Canada's health system.
How is it funded?
The CNPI is funded by Health Canada, which provided $8.9 million as part of its commitment to provide better access to primary health care for all Canadians. This initiative is part of the overall Primary Health Care Transition Fund (PHCTF) established by the Government of Canada, which made a total investment of $800 million. The funding for CNPI and other initiatives under the PHCTF will end in March 2006.
Is it a daunting challenge to get consensus on the approach to the role of the nurse practitioner in primary health care?
Yes, without a doubt, but we are finding as we work through our consultation process and start to...