The role and scope of the Clinical Nurse Consultant in Wentworth Area Health Service: a qualitative study

New South Wales Health introduced the role of the Clinical Nurse Consultant in 1987. A review of the role was undertaken by an area health service in Western Sydney, NSW, Australia in 1992 and a number of issues were highlighted in the review process, including diverse roles and responsibilities. In 2000, New South Wales Health acknowledged the diversity of roles and developed a grading system based on five domains of practice. This paper reports the second phase of a two-part study that investigated the scope of practice and perceived level of organisational support provided for the Clinical Nurse Consultants in the area health service. Focus group interviews, one for managers and two for nurse consultants, were conducted in order to collect data. Ten Clinical Nurse Consultants, representative of each grade and seven managers, covering various clinical streams, took part in the study. Data were analysed using content analysis and coded using constant comparison and contrast of codes. Results of the study reveal a lack of clarity and understanding of the new grading system. There is an indication that the role is very individual and the incumbents are often overloaded by work and the maze of demands put on them by numerous competing forces. Many of the Clinical Nurse Consultants felt they were working at a grade higher than their position classification. There appears to be a significant need to clarify the roles of each of these members of the health care system and to provide a better reporting scheme.