On a mission to help Launceston’s vulnerable

How one nurse practitioner was moved to support vulnerable Tasmanians and now inspires other health professionals in her clinic

Inspiration for meaningful action can strike at the most unexpected times.  

For Launceston-based nurse practitioner Jane Laidlaw, it happened during a routine drive to an early gym class in 2018. Once parked, she saw someone living out of their car – and it hit her hard. 

“I saw somebody sleeping in their car, and I thought, ‘No, this shouldn’t happen in Launceston. This isn’t right, I’ve got to do something. What can I do?’” Jane recalls. 

Not long after, she attended a nurse practitioner conference where a simple question resonated deeply with her: ‘Where are the gaps in your local community?’ 

The penny dropped. With a fellow nurse Michelle Dolman, Jane co-founded a multidisciplinary clinic for vulnerable people at risk of homelessness, now called Mission Health. 

Mission Health provides free health care to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and operates in Launceston from Monday to Thursday. 

It has retained its nurse practitioner-led roots.  

With only around 50 nurse practitioners statewide, they are a minority in Tasmania’s healthcare workforce. A nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse who can diagnose, treat, and manage patients independently, including prescribing medications – unlike other nurses, who typically work under the supervision of a doctor. 

Jonette Scott, operations manager for health and alcohol and other drugs at City Mission, says Jane has always led with her heart.  

“Nurses are trained to think about the bigger picture, and that’s what Jane brings to her role,” Jonette says.  

“She doesn’t just see an isolated health issue; she gets the whole picture of the person and ensures that other doctors and allied health professionals plug into that broader view. 

“Her compassion has never wavered over 20 years – it’s incredible.”  

Jane’s efforts to bridge gaps in health care have inspired others to give back. 

The clinic is staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers including GPs, registered nurses, a physiotherapist, optometrist and podiatrist, all treating the unique problems associated with being unhoused.  

“We’re just so fortunate that we’ve got all these people who just care and they’re giving back,” Jane says. “It feels good as a human to do something for other people.” 

The impact on patients is profound.  

“Mostly our patients are just grateful that somebody listens. That they are being seen and heard.” 

One such patient, Allison, agrees. 

“The staff always listened to me and made me feel like I mattered when I did not feel I was important to anyone,” she says.   

“I believe the staff saved my life in a really difficult time.” 

Jane says collaboration and communication with all the different health professionals are key to the clinic’s success.   

“I’ll often send around a note to different clinicians to say, ‘We have this problem with a patient, what do you think? How should we handle this?’ It’s important that we tackle these issues together,” she says.   

In 2023, Jane’s passion and inspiration led her to win the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners’ Beverley McGavin Award for Excellence in Clinical Leadership. The award was presented at the same conference that had inspired her to act back in 2018.   

Despite the recognition, Jane remains humble. 

“To be named in the same breath as Beverley McGavin, one of the first nurse practitioners, is just a huge, huge honour and I feel humbled,” she says. “I met her daughter and had tears in my eyes.   

“I just want to try my best for this cohort who I consider to be voiceless.”  

This story features in Issue 19 of our Primary Health Matters magazine. Click here to read the rest of the issue.