Highlighting the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on patient care, particularly with regard to chronic patients, the Nurses Association (OE) wants to accelerate the family nurse figures in terms of health care.

The proposal is one of those contained in a letter sent to the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, and the Deputy Secretary of State for Health, António Lacerda Sales, in which the OE asks for an audience to discuss the topic and the implementation of pilot experiences.

Citing the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and what it foresees in terms of reformulating the provision of health care with a focus on primary health care, the OE proposes to increase the number of nurses assigned to these care units personalised health services.

It also wants more nurses at the level of community care units and in continuing care.

They also propose the “expansion of the competences and areas of intervention of nurses and specialist nurses” and the “assignment of a family nurse to each patient/family”.

According to the OE, "there are currently three thousand nurses able to integrate the labour market, which, of course, should be considered for this purpose", also saying that "at this moment, nurses are overwhelmed with requests", for vaccination against Covid-19 and following up on users.

In the document, the nurses affirm that they are “absolutely convinced” in the capacity of a new approach and expansion of family nurses' skills and affections to community care units and integrated continuing care units “to play a decisive role in recovery and consolidation of the assistance activity”.

"This solution appears, in fact, as the best way to guarantee universal access to proper and quality health care for the entire population and, in particular, for people with chronic illnesses and dependents at home, who, at this moment, are in a situation of greater vulnerability”, defends the OE.