Update: Clinical Supervisor Support Program - Discussion Paper and Consultation Forums

26 July 2010

The 2008 National Partnership Agreement (NPA) on Hospital and Health Workforce Reform includes a specific component to expand clinical training supervision capacity and competence.  Health Workforce Australia (HWA) has prepared a Discussion Paper to consider supervision across professions and the educational continuum from professional entry through to post graduate and vocational training.

Building a sustainable and quality workforce to deliver clinical supervision is essential to ensuring Australia can continue to provide education and training to students in the short, medium and long term.

Supervisory models are many and varied across professions and clinical training providers.  This results from differing training models, requirements set by accreditation bodies, curricula within each and across professions and approaches adopted by universities and clinical training providers. Whilst research has identified there are substantial benefits in recognising and supporting this diversity, there are opportunities to develop a more consistent framework to improve quality and numbers through both training supervisors to common competencies and structuring supervision arrangements and support to embed them better in the service delivery system. This includes ensuring support for the vertical integration of clinical training models covering professional entry, post graduate and vocational trainees and skills development and maintenance across a range of professions.

The Clinical Supervision Support Program (CSSP) of HWA aims to expand student supervision capacity and competence across the health professions (Attachment A - CSSP Update) and consists of the following phases:

1. Environmental scan
2. Research
3. Gap analysis
4. Development and implementation of a National Clinical Supervision Support Strategy and Framework

Phase 1 and 2 of the CSSP, now complete, involved consultation with key stakeholders (health departments, public sector, private sector, not for profit health services, accreditation bodies, specialist medical colleges, professional associations and regulatory bodies), a literature review, an assessment of accreditation criteria requirements and analysis of data from the clinical placement university survey.

The CSSP Discussion paper builds on the stakeholder engagement employed to date and has been developed based on the findings of phase 1 and 2 which highlighted issues categorised into three main themes: 

• Functions of a supervision and role clarity
• Supervisor development
• The supervision environment

The proposed strategies outlined in the Discussion Paper aim to build on the extensive work already underway and to stimulate debate and seek stakeholders’ views on a number of potential policy options.

Submission Process

Interested parties are requested to provide written submissions to the HWA addressing each of the policy options contained in CSSP Discussion paper by COB 3 September 2010.  The Discussion Paper and a Submission Template are available.

CSSP Discussion Paper – Stakeholder Forums

Stakeholder Forums are planned from 5 - 19 August in all major capital cities.

Health departments, public sector, private sector, not for profit health services, accreditation bodies, specialist medical colleges, professional associations and regulatory bodies with an interest in clinical training should note the scheduled times and locations and register to attend.

Register for the CSSP Stakeholder Forums

Obtain additional information in relation to the CSSP Discussion Paper.