Planning work to expand Canberra's Hospital in the Home service will start in the coming financial year, with Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris pledging 32 more nurses for the program over the next four years.
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Ms Fitzharris said an extra $136,000 would be included in this year's ACT budget when it is released next week, money which would start the "planning process" for an expansion of the health service to help more people access care in their own homes.
She said the budget would also include funding to employ an extra 32 nurses across ACT health over the next four years, part of a $36 million election commitment that includes 12 more graduate nurses, two maternal and child health nurses, 12 more "nurse navigator positions" and six more school nurses and more training opportunities for nurses.
The funds were part of the government's 2016 election platform and the Labor-Greens parliamentary agreement formed after the minority government returned to office last year.
Ms Fitzharris said the extra "nurse navigators" would also help patients to access the "right health services at the right time across our health system".
"This investment in more nurse navigators will not only help diversify our nursing workforce by offering new roles, but it also demonstrates our commitment to making it easier for patients to access health services," she said.
