❓ A parliamentary question regarding the WA government's HECS-HELP program for nurses and midwives in regional WA, focusing on vacancy numbers, program rationale, eligibility, and priority locations. The answer provides some clarification but lacks specific vacancy data.
AnsweredQoN 1485Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Minister's media statement issued on 8 May 2023 titled "HECS help to grow WA's healthcare workforce", and I ask: (a) how many public nursing and midwifery vacancies exist by FTE in regional Western Australia; (b) how did the Government arrive at 350 as being the appropriate number of nurses an midwifes to support through this program; (c) how is the State Government defining "newly qualified" nurses and midwifes; and (d) please identify the priority locations to which the incentive will apply?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
8 August 2023
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Health
Response time
8 days
(a) Data on substantive vacancies cannot be extracted from WA Health workforce systems for broad clinical workforce categories such as medical and nursing staff. The management of vacancy data against established FTE varies across WA Country Health Service (WACHS) sites and would impact the accuracy of FTE vacancy data provided.
To provide the data, manual extraction from each site would be required which would divert regional staff away from their normal duties. If the member has a specific question, I will endeavour to provide the information.
(b) 350 is based on past applications received via GradConnect for WACHS.
(c) Newly qualified nurses and midwives is defined as students of nursing and midwifery who have graduated in the last one to two years and have gained initial registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
(d) All country sites within the WACHS remit are within scope for the HECS-HELP initiative.
To provide the data, manual extraction from each site would be required which would divert regional staff away from their normal duties. If the member has a specific question, I will endeavour to provide the information.
(b) 350 is based on past applications received via GradConnect for WACHS.
(c) Newly qualified nurses and midwives is defined as students of nursing and midwifery who have graduated in the last one to two years and have gained initial registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
(d) All country sites within the WACHS remit are within scope for the HECS-HELP initiative.
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