Home grown: tackling allied health workforce issues in regional SA through a pipeline of multifaceted strategies
Esther Miller1 1Yorke and Northern Local Health Network, Port Pirie, SA, Australia
Abstract
Allied health workforce in regional Australia continues to face attraction, retention, and sustainability challenges. Research indicates addressing this complex challenge require a multifaceted, systemic approach. Recognising this, the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network (YNLHN) partnered with the Rural Support Service (RSS) to identify an adaptable, context-centric workforce strategy across the pipeline pillars of attraction and selection, training, support, and recognition.
The attraction pillar contains promotional materials and access to accommodation and relocation supports. The training pillar offers an allied health cadetship model offering paid employment, revamped rural allied health student placement model, and providing education and training opportunities closer to home. The support pillar offers local connections with the wider community, and investment in the health professional through professional supervision and clinical leadership. The recognition pillar promotes opportunities for recognition through current and potential rural incentive payments.
A framework adaptable to local context has been released by the RSS for regional LHNs to develop a similar model. The YNLHN pipeline considered the literature, local context, workforce data and other jurisdiction strategies. The impact of this customised approach is showing early promise with one example being an allied health cadetship, offering students employment as an Allied Health Assistant while studying locally, with a commitment to ongoing employment on completion. Evaluation specific to each pipeline strategy has been developed with state-wide evaluation supported by the RSS and locally by YNLHN. YNLHN is seeking partnerships with universities to evaluate the model and its long-term impact on recruitment and retention in the Network.
Biography
Esther Miller is a Senior Project Officer, Allied Health in the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network (YNLHN), SA Health. She is currently implementing the Allied and Scientific Health Workforce Pipeline Model for YNLHN. Esther has worked as a dietitian for 15 years in rural, metropolitan and international settings, and for the past 4 years in Allied Health Leadership.