❓ The WA Minister for Health acknowledges the critical nursing workforce shortage and outlines state initiatives, including a $16.4 million campaign to attract and retain nurses, focusing on retraining and reducing reliance on agency staff. The Minister also hopes for Commonwealth support.
AnsweredQoN 982Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NURSING WORK FORCE
Will the minister highlight to the House the importance of Western Australia’s health system attracting and retaining a strong nursing work force? Mr KUCERA
Will the minister highlight to the House the importance of Western Australia’s health system attracting and retaining a strong nursing work force? Mr KUCERA
AnswerView source ↗
The state of the nursing work force is the most critical issue within this State’s health services. As I said the other day, there is a worldwide shortage of nurses. I sincerely hope that the comments recorded in the newspapers over the weekend about the commonwealth budget are true. The budget, which will be released in Canberra tonight, is expected to contain a commitment that the nursing work force across Australia will be assisted. Over the weekend, the Premier announced an initiative of a $16.4 million campaign. It is the second phase of a plan to attract and retain nurses in the State’s health system. The first phase, which is now complete, was to ensure that all school leavers consider nursing as a career as the fine profession that it is. As I said the other day in this House, all the courses are chock-a-block full, which is great. This program looks at retraining and paying those who have left the nursing profession to return to it. It arose from a meeting I had with people in the wheatbelt. I met a number of young nurses who had left the profession to raise families. They now live on farms with their partners and have taken up other jobs. They have not been able to take up refresher courses due to financial commitments, but they desperately want to return to nursing and stay in their own towns. Most of the people concerned are women. The Government intends to pay them while they retrain. Importantly, the Government intends to reduce the reliance on agency staff for nursing in this State. About 180 nurses completed refresher courses during 2001. I sincerely hope that the Commonwealth takes the lead across the country in ensuring that Australia’s nursing work force is maintained.
Mr KUCERA replied: The state of the nursing work force is the most critical issue within this State’s health services. As I said the other day, there is a worldwide shortage of nurses. I sincerely hope that the comments recorded in the newspapers over the weekend about the commonwealth budget are true. The budget, which will be released in Canberra tonight, is expected to contain a commitment that the nursing work force across Australia will be assisted. Over the weekend, the Premier announced an initiative of a $16.4 million campaign. It is the second phase of a plan to attract and retain nurses in the State’s health system. The first phase, which is now complete, was to ensure that all school leavers consider nursing as a career as the fine profession that it is. As I said the other day in this House, all the courses are chock-a-block full, which is great. This program looks at retraining and paying those who have left the nursing profession to return to it. It arose from a meeting I had with people in the wheatbelt. I met a number of young nurses who had left the profession to raise families. They now live on farms with their partners and have taken up other jobs. They have not been able to take up refresher courses due to financial commitments, but they desperately want to return to nursing and stay in their own towns. Most of the people concerned are women. The Government intends to pay them while they retrain. Importantly, the Government intends to reduce the reliance on agency staff for nursing in this State. About 180 nurses completed refresher courses during 2001. I sincerely hope that the Commonwealth takes the lead across the country in ensuring that Australia’s nursing work force is maintained.
The state of the nursing work force is the most critical issue within this State’s health services. As I said the other day, there is a worldwide shortage of nurses. I sincerely hope that the comments recorded in the newspapers over the weekend about the commonwealth budget are true. The budget, which will be released in Canberra tonight, is expected to contain a commitment that the nursing work force across Australia will be assisted. Over the weekend, the Premier announced an initiative of a $16.4 million campaign. It is the second phase of a plan to attract and retain nurses in the State’s health system. The first phase, which is now complete, was to ensure that all school leavers consider nursing as a career as the fine profession that it is. As I said the other day in this House, all the courses are chock-a-block full, which is great. This program looks at retraining and paying those who have left the nursing profession to return to it. It arose from a meeting I had with people in the wheatbelt. I met a number of young nurses who had left the profession to raise families. They now live on farms with their partners and have taken up other jobs. They have not been able to take up refresher courses due to financial commitments, but they desperately want to return to nursing and stay in their own towns. Most of the people concerned are women. The Government intends to pay them while they retrain. Importantly, the Government intends to reduce the reliance on agency staff for nursing in this State. About 180 nurses completed refresher courses during 2001. I sincerely hope that the Commonwealth takes the lead across the country in ensuring that Australia’s nursing work force is maintained.
Over the weekend, the Premier announced an initiative of a $16.4 million campaign. It is the second phase of a plan to attract and retain nurses in the State’s health system. The first phase, which is now complete, was to ensure that all school leavers consider nursing as a career as the fine profession that it is. As I said the other day in this House, all the courses are chock-a-block full, which is great. This program looks at retraining and paying those who have left the nursing profession to return to it. It arose from a meeting I had with people in the wheatbelt. I met a number of young nurses who had left the profession to raise families. They now live on farms with their partners and have taken up other jobs. They have not been able to take up refresher courses due to financial commitments, but they desperately want to return to nursing and stay in their own towns. Most of the people concerned are women. The Government intends to pay them while they retrain. Importantly, the Government intends to reduce the reliance on agency staff for nursing in this State. About 180 nurses completed refresher courses during 2001. I sincerely hope that the Commonwealth takes the lead across the country in ensuring that Australia’s nursing work force is maintained.
Mr KUCERA replied: The state of the nursing work force is the most critical issue within this State’s health services. As I said the other day, there is a worldwide shortage of nurses. I sincerely hope that the comments recorded in the newspapers over the weekend about the commonwealth budget are true. The budget, which will be released in Canberra tonight, is expected to contain a commitment that the nursing work force across Australia will be assisted. Over the weekend, the Premier announced an initiative of a $16.4 million campaign. It is the second phase of a plan to attract and retain nurses in the State’s health system. The first phase, which is now complete, was to ensure that all school leavers consider nursing as a career as the fine profession that it is. As I said the other day in this House, all the courses are chock-a-block full, which is great. This program looks at retraining and paying those who have left the nursing profession to return to it. It arose from a meeting I had with people in the wheatbelt. I met a number of young nurses who had left the profession to raise families. They now live on farms with their partners and have taken up other jobs. They have not been able to take up refresher courses due to financial commitments, but they desperately want to return to nursing and stay in their own towns. Most of the people concerned are women. The Government intends to pay them while they retrain. Importantly, the Government intends to reduce the reliance on agency staff for nursing in this State. About 180 nurses completed refresher courses during 2001. I sincerely hope that the Commonwealth takes the lead across the country in ensuring that Australia’s nursing work force is maintained.
The state of the nursing work force is the most critical issue within this State’s health services. As I said the other day, there is a worldwide shortage of nurses. I sincerely hope that the comments recorded in the newspapers over the weekend about the commonwealth budget are true. The budget, which will be released in Canberra tonight, is expected to contain a commitment that the nursing work force across Australia will be assisted. Over the weekend, the Premier announced an initiative of a $16.4 million campaign. It is the second phase of a plan to attract and retain nurses in the State’s health system. The first phase, which is now complete, was to ensure that all school leavers consider nursing as a career as the fine profession that it is. As I said the other day in this House, all the courses are chock-a-block full, which is great. This program looks at retraining and paying those who have left the nursing profession to return to it. It arose from a meeting I had with people in the wheatbelt. I met a number of young nurses who had left the profession to raise families. They now live on farms with their partners and have taken up other jobs. They have not been able to take up refresher courses due to financial commitments, but they desperately want to return to nursing and stay in their own towns. Most of the people concerned are women. The Government intends to pay them while they retrain. Importantly, the Government intends to reduce the reliance on agency staff for nursing in this State. About 180 nurses completed refresher courses during 2001. I sincerely hope that the Commonwealth takes the lead across the country in ensuring that Australia’s nursing work force is maintained.
Over the weekend, the Premier announced an initiative of a $16.4 million campaign. It is the second phase of a plan to attract and retain nurses in the State’s health system. The first phase, which is now complete, was to ensure that all school leavers consider nursing as a career as the fine profession that it is. As I said the other day in this House, all the courses are chock-a-block full, which is great. This program looks at retraining and paying those who have left the nursing profession to return to it. It arose from a meeting I had with people in the wheatbelt. I met a number of young nurses who had left the profession to raise families. They now live on farms with their partners and have taken up other jobs. They have not been able to take up refresher courses due to financial commitments, but they desperately want to return to nursing and stay in their own towns. Most of the people concerned are women. The Government intends to pay them while they retrain. Importantly, the Government intends to reduce the reliance on agency staff for nursing in this State. About 180 nurses completed refresher courses during 2001. I sincerely hope that the Commonwealth takes the lead across the country in ensuring that Australia’s nursing work force is maintained.
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