❓ The Minister for Health outlines initiatives to support nursing and midwifery graduates, particularly in regional WA, including financial incentives, recruitment campaigns, and increased graduate intake. The government highlights investments in infrastructure and workforce support, aiming to attract and retain healthcare professionals in the state.
AnsweredQoN 257Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NURSES
AND MIDWIVES
257. Ms L. DALTON to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to supporting Western Australia's health workforce throughout our
public health system.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how this government is supporting nursing and
midwifery graduates whilst boosting our regional and remote health workforce?
(2) Can the
minister also advise the house of how these initiatives will bolster and
support WA's health workforce, particularly in regional Western Australia?
AND MIDWIVES
257. Ms L. DALTON to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's commitment
to supporting Western Australia's health workforce throughout our
public health system.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how this government is supporting nursing and
midwifery graduates whilst boosting our regional and remote health workforce?
(2) Can the
minister also advise the house of how these initiatives will bolster and
support WA's health workforce, particularly in regional Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
member for her question.
(1)–(2)
The government is, as we know, investing heavily in our public health
infrastructure, with hundreds of new hospital beds that have come online within
the last 18 months, a new maternity hospital, improved access to emergency care
and investment in new technology to keep us healthy. However, we all know that,
whilst buildings and infrastructure are important, our health workforce is the
backbone of our health care sector. It has faced significant challenges over
the last couple of years and has worked incredibly hard, around the world and
in Western Australia, supporting the whole community.
We are already doing a significant
amount to attract and retain a workforce to Western Australia. We have the
Belong campaign, launched under the former Minister for Health, which supports
recruitment of overseas healthcare workers
and upskilling the WA healthcare workforce, and that will continue. In 2021 we expanded the skilled migration list for priority jobs, which included 46
medical and health-related occupations, for 2022–23. We all know that
Minister Papalia led a very successful delegation to the United Kingdom, particularly attracting critical
core public sector workers to Western Australia, and we are funding upgrades to
the WA Country Health Service accommodation to the tune of more than $8 million. We also have a targeted retention fund of $15 million, which is
allocated to hard-to-staff areas to incentivise our midwives and nursing staff
to stay in those areas and support their communities. Many of these initiatives
complement existing initiatives.
All graduate midwives are offered
employment in WA hospitals. We have scholarships for undergraduate midwives and courses for midwives who are
registered but do not have recency. Our wages policy is more generous
than those of New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania;
we have more flexible working hours and increased training; and, of course, we
are introducing historic nurse-to-patient ratios. All of these measures mean
that our workforce is growing. We have seen a 22 per cent increase in Western Australia's
FTE over the last three years. That includes 1 784 nursing staff and 779 more
medical FTE staff.
Yesterday, with the Premier, I announced
another really important incentive for our healthcare workforce: up to 350 newly qualified nurses and midwives who
choose to work in regional public hospitals will receive up to $12 000
towards their HECS fees over three years. This program means that nurses
completing their studies at Edith Cowan University will have to pay only $882
for their degree, if they choose to start their career in regional health. We
know that when people start their career in regional health, they very often
fall in love with it and choose to stay there, and that is what we want: we
want those healthcare workers to make their homes in the regions and to support
those communities.
This is also supported by an
increase of $306 million in initiatives to significantly boost the number of graduates across the whole system, give them more
wraparound supports, and help them start their careers . This will bring
our graduate intake to 1 200 newly qualified nurses and midwives across the
health system in any one year. That is a significant increase. This is one of
the many initiatives that we have in place to encourage new nurses and midwives
to take up the exciting challenges in regional healthcare, and to support those
who want to enter our metropolitan healthcare institutions as well.
member for her question.
(1)–(2)
The government is, as we know, investing heavily in our public health
infrastructure, with hundreds of new hospital beds that have come online within
the last 18 months, a new maternity hospital, improved access to emergency care
and investment in new technology to keep us healthy. However, we all know that,
whilst buildings and infrastructure are important, our health workforce is the
backbone of our health care sector. It has faced significant challenges over
the last couple of years and has worked incredibly hard, around the world and
in Western Australia, supporting the whole community.
We are already doing a significant
amount to attract and retain a workforce to Western Australia. We have the
Belong campaign, launched under the former Minister for Health, which supports
recruitment of overseas healthcare workers
and upskilling the WA healthcare workforce, and that will continue. In 2021 we expanded the skilled migration list for priority jobs, which included 46
medical and health-related occupations, for 2022–23. We all know that
Minister Papalia led a very successful delegation to the United Kingdom, particularly attracting critical
core public sector workers to Western Australia, and we are funding upgrades to
the WA Country Health Service accommodation to the tune of more than $8 million. We also have a targeted retention fund of $15 million, which is
allocated to hard-to-staff areas to incentivise our midwives and nursing staff
to stay in those areas and support their communities. Many of these initiatives
complement existing initiatives.
All graduate midwives are offered
employment in WA hospitals. We have scholarships for undergraduate midwives and courses for midwives who are
registered but do not have recency. Our wages policy is more generous
than those of New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania;
we have more flexible working hours and increased training; and, of course, we
are introducing historic nurse-to-patient ratios. All of these measures mean
that our workforce is growing. We have seen a 22 per cent increase in Western Australia's
FTE over the last three years. That includes 1 784 nursing staff and 779 more
medical FTE staff.
Yesterday, with the Premier, I announced
another really important incentive for our healthcare workforce: up to 350 newly qualified nurses and midwives who
choose to work in regional public hospitals will receive up to $12 000
towards their HECS fees over three years. This program means that nurses
completing their studies at Edith Cowan University will have to pay only $882
for their degree, if they choose to start their career in regional health. We
know that when people start their career in regional health, they very often
fall in love with it and choose to stay there, and that is what we want: we
want those healthcare workers to make their homes in the regions and to support
those communities.
This is also supported by an
increase of $306 million in initiatives to significantly boost the number of graduates across the whole system, give them more
wraparound supports, and help them start their careers . This will bring
our graduate intake to 1 200 newly qualified nurses and midwives across the
health system in any one year. That is a significant increase. This is one of
the many initiatives that we have in place to encourage new nurses and midwives
to take up the exciting challenges in regional healthcare, and to support those
who want to enter our metropolitan healthcare institutions as well.
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