Beyond the Clinic Walls: Nurse-Led Socialised Care and Health Equity for Vulnerable Populations in Australia.

aimThis paper critically examines the Australian College of Nursing's proposed socialised healthcare model and the potential of nurse-led socialised care as a paradigm shift for addressing the intersection of medical need and social distress among vulnerable populations experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, poverty, and other disadvantage. APPROACH: This is a position paper. It offers a theoretical commentary and critical reading that situates the proposed socialised healthcare model within frameworks of social determinants of health, health equity, and socially responsive care delivery. SOURCES AND ANALYSIS: The paper draws on the illustrative patient narrative presented in the white paper and a critical reading of selected literature on healthcare access and nurse-led models of care. No systematic search was undertaken. It considered how biomedical approaches may reinforce structural barriers and inequities and examined the potential of nurse-led socialised models to deliver holistic, person-centred, and equity-focused care. DISCUSSION: We argue that traditional biomedical approaches often fail to address the social and structural factors shaping health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Nurse-led socialised healthcare models may improve access, continuity, and quality of care through integrated assessment of social determinants, therapeutic relationships, and community-focused interventions. These models offer a transformative approach to reducing health inequities by recognising health as shaped by social, economic, and environmental factors. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patients or Public Contribution.