The Australian health workforce:facts and futures (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Interprofessional Care, 2019
Following a history of the Australian health system and funding models, we outline workforce issues, in particular, the lack of health professionals in regional locations. The role of the Australian government health departments in workforce planning is discussed. We describe research funded by the Commonwealth government focussing on the development of interprofessional education (IPE) for collaborative practice. New models of interprofessional care have been introduced to help tackle the population needs: in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT); HealthOne in New South Wales; health-care homes nationally; and partnerships between pharmacists and general practitioners in Victoria. Changes in care delivery necessitate innovations in health education, however how IPE is embedded in Australian health professional education still varies. There is a growing sense of an IPE community complemented by an interest in IPE from peak policy and workforce bodies. There are changes underway in health professional registration and accreditation that are likely to regulate shared and common learning to enable the continuous development of a flexible, responsive and sustainable health workforce. We conclude that there are significant opportunities for further development of IPE and collaborative practice as key strategies for adding to the ability of health systems to address individual needs in conjunction with aiming for optimal and universal health coverage.
The emergence of new kinds of professional work within the health sector
Perspectives on Contemporary Professional Work, 2016
consider the benefits and disadvantages of current work force trends, and the impact on management and human resource roles. Globally, health care and the health workforce are a high priority for government policy makers. The size and complexity of the health workforce drives the need for clinical effectiveness and efficiency. In Australia, health care and social services employ more people than any other industry. Results from the 2011 Australian Census show 11.6% of Australians are working in health care and community services including doctors, nurses, dentists, child care workers and aged care providers (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). Additional data from the National Health Workforce data set (Health Workforce Australia, 2013) shows that in 2013, there were 593,188 registered health practitioners. Over half of these (344,190) were nurses or midwives with medical practitioners ranking second in number. The table below lists the diversity of registered health practitioners in Australia. This excludes established non-registered professions such as dietetics, social work, speech pathology and emerging professions for example exercise science and perfusionists.
Health workforce design for the 21st century
Australian Health Review, 2005
The Australian health workforce has changed dramatically over the last 4 years, growing in size and changing composition. However, more changes will be needed in the future to respond to the epidemiological and demographic transition of the Australian population. A critical issue will be whether the supply of health professionals will keep pace with demand. There are current recorded shortages of most health professionals, but this paper argues that future workforce planning should not be based on providing more of the same. Rather, the roles of health professionals will need to change and workforce planning needs to place a stronger emphasis on issues of workforce substitution, that is, a different mix of responsibilities. This will also require changes in educational preparation, in particular an increased emphasis on interprofessional work and common foundation Aust Health Rev 2005: 29(2): 201-210 learning.
Demographic changes in Australia’s regulated health professions: 6-year trends
Australian Health Review, 2023
Objective. Studies of Australian health workforce demographics tend to be limited to single professions, a set geographic area, or based on incomplete data. This study aims to comprehensively describe changes to the demographic characteristics of Australia's regulated health professions over 6 years. Methods. Data were sourced from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) registration database, and a retrospective analysis of 15 of the 16 regulated health professions between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2021 was conducted. Variables including profession, age, gender and state/territory locations for the practitioners' principal places of practice were analysed descriptively and via appropriate statistical tests. Results. Changes in age, gender representation, and place of practice varied significantly and in different ways across the 15 professions. The total number of registered health practitioners increased by 141 161 (22%) from 2016 to 2021. The number of registered health practitioners per 100 000 population increased by 14% from 2016, with considerable variation across the professions. In 2021, women accounted for 76.3% of health practitioners across the 15 health professions, a significant increase of 0.5% points since 2016. Conclusions. Changes to demographics, especially in ageing workforces and feminising professions, can have implications for workforce planning and sustainability. Future research could build on this demographic trend data by investigating causes or undertaking workforce supply or demand modelling.