Maree Kelly, the Child and Family Health nurse based at Tenterfield PAM Hospital, was making house calls on Thursday to local residents with young children.

“The nurse’s role has changed over the last five years,” Ms Kelly said.

She said that nurses are now more likely to visit clients in their own homes.

Ms Kelly’s first patient was two-year-old Breea McIntosh who was receiving a physical check to ensure she was meeting milestones for her age. This included weighing her and checking her growth.

“Early intervention is really important,” Ms Kelly said.

“That is why we do these checks on children from birth. It prevents health problems from happening and keeps us up to date with immunisations.”

The nursing role that Ms Kelly plays in the community gives people the opportunity to be comfortable with her in their home environment during the early development of their children.

The next patient for the afternoon was five-week-old Indyanah Murphy.

“Whenever a baby is born, the parents are offered home visit in the first two weeks of birth,” Ms Kelly said.

“It all started with the Families First initiative. It’s now called Families NSW.

“The state government funding body looked at methods for sustained home visiting and better outcomes as a better way at looking at health.”

The care of children is not the only area covered by primary health nurses. Nurses at Tenterfield’s Millrace provide support for their elderly residents in the form of immunisations, health screening monitoring and medical reviews.

Bernadette McLaren, Director of Care at Millrace, ensures primary care reaches the residents.

“We do health screenings, like keeping an eye on weight, dietary needs and blood pressure,” Mrs McLaren said.

“We also maintain skin integrity. Older people’s skin dries out more. To maintain it normally we apply moisturisers daily.”

Part of Mrs McLaren’s role is to keep the residents happy and healthy, including fitness classes. Residents participate in low impact exercises including wrist and arm workouts. This year’s International Nurses Day recognises the work that these nurses do with elderly members of the community.

“Nurses are one of the most trusted professions, a great deal of trust above other professions,” Mrs McLaren said.

“They are dedicated and passionate about their caring roles. “It’s a fantastic profession, I wouldn’t do anything else but nursing.”