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About

Health Workforce Australia (HWA) is a Commonwealth statutory authority that delivers a national, coordinated approach to health workforce reform. It was established by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to address the challenges of providing a skilled, flexible and innovative health workforce that meets the needs of the Australian community.

Since its inception, Health Workforce Australia has been working in collaboration with governments and non-government organisations across health and higher education sectors to address critical priorities in the planning, training and reform of Australia’s health workforce.

Health Workforce Australia objectives

The demand for health care is growing, arising from an ageing population, growth in chronic disease, and increased community expectation. At the same time, there are significant challenges including maldistribution of the health workforce, looming shortages in some professions and specialties, inefficient work practices, and inflexible professional roles and work practices.

In response, HWA's one overall goal is – to build a sustainable health workforce for Australia.

HWA's three core objectives to achieve this goal are:

  1. Building capacity of the workforce to deliver fit-for-purpose health professionals more quickly and efficiently.
  2. Boosting productivity of the health workforce and maximising their use.
  3. Improving distribution to ensure the health workforce is placed in areas and specialties where it is needed.

To deliver these objectives, HWA works by:

  • Building the evidence for health workforce reform through planning, research and evaluation.
  • Providing leadership to influence national policy and programs on health workforce innovation and reform.
  • Working in collaboration with stakeholders to drive reforms and support a sustainable health workforce for Australia.

Achievements

Health Workforce Australia has pioneered groundbreaking initiatives and landmark research to shake up our health care system and push for change. Here is a snapshot of our achievements to date:

  • Released Australia’s first major, long-term, national projections for doctors, nurses and midwives from now through to 2025; Health Workforce 2025.
  • In 2013, Health Workforce 2025 Allied Health and Health Workforce 2025 Oral Health will be released.
  • Established the National Health Workforce Innovation and Reform Strategic Framework for Action 2011-2015 to provide an overarching, national platform to guide health workforce reform.
  • Funded initiatives across Australia resulting in over 335,000 additional clinical training placement days and established 30 regional clinical training networks to expand the capacity of clinical training.
  • Initiated projects that inform the development of policies and strategies to strengthen and sustain the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce.
  • Successfully launched the ‘Take a step up down under’ international marketing campaign to attract nursing and allied health staff to rural and remote Australia.
  • The Future Health Leaders Council was established as a forum for students and early-career professionals to provide their opinions and advice to HWA and its stakeholders. Membership grew over the course of the year to 250.
  • Hosted the Implementing National Health Workforce Reform Workshop where more than 70 national leaders in health, education and government gathered to identify reforms and commit to large-scale change for Australia’s health workforce.
  • Initiated projects to expand the scope of practice for health professionals including physiotherapists, nurses and paramedics. A number of targeted innovative health workforce reform initiatives have been successfully implemented with a focus on role redesign to improve efficiency and effectiveness of health care services.
  • Championed the development of a draft national pathway for prescribing medicine by health professionals who are not doctors to improve our health workforce’s productivity and flexibility. An implementation plan for a national health professionals prescribing pathway will be published in 2013.
  • Health Workforce Australia’s inaugural conference Inspire 2012: Reshaping Australia’s Health Workforce was held in November 2012.  The conference brought together some of the world’s most respected leaders in workforce innovation and reform. Inspire 2012 was a landmark event and the first ever to tackle head on the huge challenges this country faces to deliver Australia’s changing healthcare needs.