South Australia faces many challenges in recruiting, training and developing the health professionals and skilled volunteers needed to deliver public health services in rural areas.
The Government of South Australia has provided an investment of $20 million over four years, from 2018-19 to 2021-22, to develop and implement a Rural Health Workforce Strategy to address these challenges.
The Rural Health Workforce Strategy Steering Committee, chaired by Rural Support Service Chief Clinical Adviser Dr Hendrika Meyer, and comprising representatives from the following stakeholder groups, along with regional local health network (LHN) and Rural Support Service members, and Flinders and Upper North LHN Governing Board Chair Mr Bevan Francis, is providing high-level oversight and governance of the strategy:
Aboriginal Health Council of SA
Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
Australian Medical Association (South Australia)
Country SA Primary Health Network
District Council of Kimba
Flinders University
GPEx
Health Consumers Alliance of South Australia
Rural Doctors Association of South Australia
Rural Doctors Workforce Agency
Rural Faculty of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
SA Ambulance Service
University of Adelaide
University of South Australia
In January 2019, based on recommendations from the Steering Committee, the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, the Hon. Stephen Wade MLC, announced the following initial funding allocations under the Rural Health Workforce Strategy for 2018-19:
$140,000 to provide additional training and career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners
The investment in the DTN led to the roll-out of rural DTN units in the emergency departments of all country public hospitals in South Australia, with the equipment installed in the final site, Murray Bridge, on 3 December 2019. All of these sites now have access to high-quality specialist advice using the DTN, including the 24/7 Country Stroke Support Service and MedSTAR emergency medical retrieval service, and 30 of them have access to after-hours GP support through SAVES.
The allocation of the following additional funding for 2018-19 was approved by the Minister in March 2019, based on recommendations from the Rural Health Workforce Strategy Steering Committee:
$107,360 for expanding training opportunities for community support workers that will assist with attracting, recruiting and retaining quality staff
$80,000 for supporting the rural community nursing workforce, allowing them to manage more complex clients in rural areas
$74,867 for registered nurse/registered midwife collaborative graduate programs
$35,392 for rural dental workshops with a facilitated introduction to the benefits of a rural career for dental professionals
$21,000 to expand the skills of the allied health workforce to improve the care for older people in rural South Australia
In addition, $290,000 was allocated for a project team in the then Country Health SA to support the development and implementation of the strategy, including plans for each profession of the rural health workforce. This project team is now part of the Rural Support Service.
In addition to these important investments, the initial priority for the Rural Health Workforce Strategy Steering Committee and project team was the development of a
Rural Medical Workforce Plan, which was released by the Minister in December 2019.
During 2019-20 further funding allocations have continued to support the following initiatives that commenced in 2018-19:
$825,750 for to improve services for long-term, high-quality maternity care
$400,300 for registered nurse/registered midwife collaborative graduate programs
$30,548 to provide additional training and career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners
$150,000 for research into reasons for reduced numbers of rural general practice trainees, through the Medical Speciality Decision Making Project, with the final report released in March this year (refer to Rural Medical Workforce Plan)
$320,000 for project support to continue the development of the workforce plans.
Funding was also allocated to the following new projects in 2019-20:
$71,500 for developing and commencing training in a Professional Certificate in Specialist Mental Health Nursing Practice
$32,100 for the Rural Intern GP Experience Program
$327,670 for a trial of ‘clinician kits’ on Eyre Peninsula that have been invaluable in assisting with domiciliary assessment for COVID-19
$121,180 for increased technological support in rural settings for the SA Ambulance Service
$65,000 for implementation of a tool to increase the competence and capability of support workers to identify and respond to clients with complex care needs at risk of decline
up to $138,067 for the regional local health networks to support the implementation of the Rural Medical Workforce Plan.
In 2020-21, funding includes:
$117,500 for a mobile clinical practice guideline app for the SA Ambulance Service
You can search through to find related information.
Rural Medical Workforce Plan
The Rural Medical Workforce Plan aims to ensure a sustainable rural medical workforce.
Rural SA Ambulance Service Workforce Plan
The SA Ambulance Service Rural Workforce Plan is one of the workforce plans developed as part of the Rural Health Workforce Strategy.
Rural medical training
A Trainee Medical Officer Unit has been established to coordinate, attract and encourage students and trainee medical officers to work in country areas.
Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway
A workforce development initiative combining a formal education program with systems to support the development of clinical and non-clinical generalist specialist skills
Careers in regional South Australia
Our South Australian regional local health networks offer outstanding career opportunities in medicine, nursing and midwifery as well as the allied health disciplines
Rural Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Plan
The SA Rural Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Plan is one of the workforce plans being developed as part of the Rural Health Workforce Strategy.
Rural Allied Health Workforce Plan
The SA Rural Allied Health Workforce Plan is one of the workforce plans being developed as part of the Rural Health Workforce Strategy.
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