TASK SHIFTING: considering legal and regulatory barriers

DENOSA STRATEGIC CONSULTATION - 17 and 18 March 2008

One of the key focal areas of the Treatment Monitor within the Health Systems Trust (HST) has been the management of human resources within the health sector. At the South African AIDS Conference in June 2007 a seminar was hosted by Prof Laetitia Rispel of the HSRC on human resources and the continuum of HIV care, where the issue of the cadre of nurses in task shifting was highlighted. Then at the Joint Civil Society Monitoring Forum meeting in September 2007, human resources constraints in delivering care was again addressed and HST volunteered to work in this area to advance analysis and processes in relation to legal and regulatory issues in relation to task shifting.

As such HST has been in discussion with the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA), the largest Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) affiliated trade union of some 65 000 nurses. A planning meeting was held with DENOSA and HST to discuss developing an agenda for strategic consultation in February 2008. The strategic consultation was held in March 2008 where a position was developed for DENOSA in collaboration with invited stakeholders for them to canvass with their membership.

PURPOSE
Given the recent discussions within the Joint Civil Society Monitoring Forum, the South African National AIDS Council and the WHO recommendations, we are concerned about developing a position and process on this matter. There is a gross shortage of nurses, yet there is a need to provide quality care and defend patient care. Widening scope of practice is not new to all categories of nurses and given the Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) for nurses (PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2007) there is a need to critically engage with these issues.