❓ The Minister for Health outlines the government's investment in addressing workforce shortages in the WA health system due to COVID-19, including a $2 million advertising campaign and $71.6 million to employ more healthcare professionals.
AnsweredQoN 665Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH — WORKFORCE — RECRUITMENT
665. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Minister for Health:
Although the minister has already addressed some of the
questions regarding his portfolio, I am still going to ask my question. I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's significant investment in our health system, including the $1.9 billion of additional funding outlined in the recent state budget.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this investment is helping address the
workforce shortages arising from COVID-19?
(2) Can the minister update the house on the work underway to
grow WA's health workforce?
665. Mr Y. MUBARAKAI to the Minister for Health:
Although the minister has already addressed some of the
questions regarding his portfolio, I am still going to ask my question. I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's significant investment in our health system, including the $1.9 billion of additional funding outlined in the recent state budget.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this investment is helping address the
workforce shortages arising from COVID-19?
(2) Can the minister update the house on the work underway to
grow WA's health workforce?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I would like to thank the member for his question. It gives me another
opportunity to talk about health services—an
area that I know the member cares about deeply. In particular, as I said in my
last answer, the health workforce
supply across the nation is significantly constrained. Western Australia is no
orphan in the struggle to make sure that we continue to attract
healthcare workers, which is why a $2 million advertising campaign began over
the weekend to help recruit more health workforce professionals to the WA
system. It will support the workforce recruitment campaign that is already
underway. We are focused on ensuring that Western
Australia is competitive and that the world's best and brightest know
that we want them here and want to come here and work within our great
health system.
The
Belong campaign features a range of healthcare workers in various facilities
and settings to capture WA Health's multidisciplinary,
collaborative and dynamic working environment. The campaign advertisement was
shot in our hospitals, utilising actual healthcare workers and featuring them
working in that environment. Importantly, it
features, as I said, real staff in real hospitals and showcases the incredible work they do every day. This new phase of Western Australia's
recruitment campaign will run across multiple
platforms, including television, radio, outdoor, digital and print. It will run
interstate and overseas . The overseas advertising is complemented by
shots of the great lifestyle that people can enjoy in Western Australia, and
hopefully those living in the miserable weather of England, Ireland and
Scotland will take the opportunity to come and practise their craft in WA. The
campaign is part of a commitment to invest in a multipronged workforce
attraction and retention strategy, which is part of the $1.9 billion funding
package that we announced in the 2021 budget.
Part of this investment includes
$71.6 million to employ more doctors, nurses and midwives across the WA health system to address the workforce
shortages arising from COVID-19. Western Australia's current recruitment drive has already seen almost 1 000
new nurses and midwives join the WA health system since January this
year. The campaign also includes a dedicated refresher program to support
enrolled nurses, registered nurses and
midwives with registration requiring recency of practice to return to the
workforce and a commitment to employ 1 100 graduate nurses in 2021 and 1
200 graduate nurses in 2022.
The government is committed to
making sure that our world-class health system has some of the very best
doctors and nurses working within it and that they have the colleagues standing
by them to support them to continue to make a great healthcare workforce. I am
very proud of the work we have done and the
progress we have made to date. The Belong campaign will take us a long way
forward to boost that work and its effectiveness.
I would like to thank the member for his question. It gives me another
opportunity to talk about health services—an
area that I know the member cares about deeply. In particular, as I said in my
last answer, the health workforce
supply across the nation is significantly constrained. Western Australia is no
orphan in the struggle to make sure that we continue to attract
healthcare workers, which is why a $2 million advertising campaign began over
the weekend to help recruit more health workforce professionals to the WA
system. It will support the workforce recruitment campaign that is already
underway. We are focused on ensuring that Western
Australia is competitive and that the world's best and brightest know
that we want them here and want to come here and work within our great
health system.
The
Belong campaign features a range of healthcare workers in various facilities
and settings to capture WA Health's multidisciplinary,
collaborative and dynamic working environment. The campaign advertisement was
shot in our hospitals, utilising actual healthcare workers and featuring them
working in that environment. Importantly, it
features, as I said, real staff in real hospitals and showcases the incredible work they do every day. This new phase of Western Australia's
recruitment campaign will run across multiple
platforms, including television, radio, outdoor, digital and print. It will run
interstate and overseas . The overseas advertising is complemented by
shots of the great lifestyle that people can enjoy in Western Australia, and
hopefully those living in the miserable weather of England, Ireland and
Scotland will take the opportunity to come and practise their craft in WA. The
campaign is part of a commitment to invest in a multipronged workforce
attraction and retention strategy, which is part of the $1.9 billion funding
package that we announced in the 2021 budget.
Part of this investment includes
$71.6 million to employ more doctors, nurses and midwives across the WA health system to address the workforce
shortages arising from COVID-19. Western Australia's current recruitment drive has already seen almost 1 000
new nurses and midwives join the WA health system since January this
year. The campaign also includes a dedicated refresher program to support
enrolled nurses, registered nurses and
midwives with registration requiring recency of practice to return to the
workforce and a commitment to employ 1 100 graduate nurses in 2021 and 1
200 graduate nurses in 2022.
The government is committed to
making sure that our world-class health system has some of the very best
doctors and nurses working within it and that they have the colleagues standing
by them to support them to continue to make a great healthcare workforce. I am
very proud of the work we have done and the
progress we have made to date. The Belong campaign will take us a long way
forward to boost that work and its effectiveness.
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