❓ The Minister for Health outlines the government's initiatives to support and upscale the regional health workforce, including the midwifery program, infrastructure investments, and increased staffing levels, emphasizing improved access to healthcare in regional WA.
AnsweredQoN 636Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTH — REGIONS
636. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to providing high-quality health services to people living in
regional Western Australia.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government is supporting the training
and upscaling of our health workforce, including through the new student
midwifery program?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this investment is delivering better health care
for people in regional Western Australia?
636. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to providing high-quality health services to people living in
regional Western Australia.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government is supporting the training
and upscaling of our health workforce, including through the new student
midwifery program?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this investment is delivering better health care
for people in regional Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Kimberley for her question and her tireless advocacy on
behalf of the communities that she represents, particularly when it comes to
the delivery of health care.
We know that the Labor government,
since taking office in 2017, has worked consistently to increase our healthcare
workforce. We have increased our nursing workforce by 4 400 FTE—that is
nurses and midwives—and our clinical
medical workforce by 1 600 FTE. That is a 30 per cent increase in our
healthcare workforce, the most important part of our health system in Western
Australia. We are listening to our workforce. We are delivering meaningful and
real reform in how we deliver health care for Australians, but in particular Western
Australians who live in regional WA.
Regional access to health care is
always challenging. It is particularly challenging in a state the size of Western
Australia, which is the biggest healthcare jurisdiction in the world. To assist
with this, we have delivered permanency for our clinical staff to encourage
them to stay in the system. We have delivered permanency
across health care for our staff. We are delivering nurse-to-patient ratios and
we are supporting , importantly, our nursing workforce and our clinical
workforce to train in regional Western Australia. We know there are many
regional Western Australians who want to work in their local regional hospital
or healthcare system but have to come to Perth to do the training. It is
disruptive, expensive and challenging. We have put in place a range of programs
to support our regional healthcare workers to upskill and train in place while
they are working in our regional systems. One of those is of course the rural
psychiatry pathway, which will see us quadruple the number of psychiatrists
working in regional hospitals and community systems in Western Australia. The
feedback from that has been fantastic. Essentially, trainees used to come to
Perth and work in Perth-based hospitals. They can now work in Bunbury and will
be able to work in Geraldton when we open the new inpatient unit. They will be
able to work across Broome and other regional centres that have mental health
inpatient centres. It is important that we are also able to support midwifery
and maternity care.
Of course, international recruitment
will always form part of our delivery of healthcare services but the most
important thing that we can do is upskill and train our community, and upskill
our nursing staff who want to train in midwifery because they can do that
whilst in place. I am pleased to update the house that the first cohort of our
15 nursing to midwifery conversion students have now completed their 18-month
training, and a further 30 will qualify before the end of the year. That means
45 of our regional nurses will be competent in delivering babies in regional Western
Australia. That is an increase of 45 midwives this year. This is a fantastic
outcome and the feedback has been outstanding from the staff who have been able
to do it and can continue to support their families. It is also important
because families generally operate on two incomes. That means that people can
continue to work as registered nurses and earn while they upskill and translate
those skills to midwifery.
We
are also delivering on important infrastructure redevelopments. The Premier
mentioned Newman Health Service and, of course, we also have radiation
oncology in Albany, the birthing suites at Broome Health Campus, a range of
upgrades to regional healthcare facilities, 30 new beds in Bunbury,
redevelopment at Bunbury Regional Hospital,
and Geraldton is underway. We also have more paid paramedics in Geraldton ,
Bunbury, Busselton, Esperance, Margaret River, Harvey, Northam, Narrogin and
Newman; these are newly created paid
paramedic positions under this government. Finally, we have also boosted the
midwifery group practice across the state to provide more access and a better
model of care that midwives want to work in in regional Western Australia. That
has been rolled out and is an outstanding success, particularly in Karratha.
Finally, the most important cost-of-living measure for regional patients, which
the Liberals and Nationals WA did nothing with for eight and a half years, is
the increase to the fuel subsidy for the patient assisted travel scheme and the
accommodation allowance.
thank the member for Kimberley for her question and her tireless advocacy on
behalf of the communities that she represents, particularly when it comes to
the delivery of health care.
We know that the Labor government,
since taking office in 2017, has worked consistently to increase our healthcare
workforce. We have increased our nursing workforce by 4 400 FTE—that is
nurses and midwives—and our clinical
medical workforce by 1 600 FTE. That is a 30 per cent increase in our
healthcare workforce, the most important part of our health system in Western
Australia. We are listening to our workforce. We are delivering meaningful and
real reform in how we deliver health care for Australians, but in particular Western
Australians who live in regional WA.
Regional access to health care is
always challenging. It is particularly challenging in a state the size of Western
Australia, which is the biggest healthcare jurisdiction in the world. To assist
with this, we have delivered permanency for our clinical staff to encourage
them to stay in the system. We have delivered permanency
across health care for our staff. We are delivering nurse-to-patient ratios and
we are supporting , importantly, our nursing workforce and our clinical
workforce to train in regional Western Australia. We know there are many
regional Western Australians who want to work in their local regional hospital
or healthcare system but have to come to Perth to do the training. It is
disruptive, expensive and challenging. We have put in place a range of programs
to support our regional healthcare workers to upskill and train in place while
they are working in our regional systems. One of those is of course the rural
psychiatry pathway, which will see us quadruple the number of psychiatrists
working in regional hospitals and community systems in Western Australia. The
feedback from that has been fantastic. Essentially, trainees used to come to
Perth and work in Perth-based hospitals. They can now work in Bunbury and will
be able to work in Geraldton when we open the new inpatient unit. They will be
able to work across Broome and other regional centres that have mental health
inpatient centres. It is important that we are also able to support midwifery
and maternity care.
Of course, international recruitment
will always form part of our delivery of healthcare services but the most
important thing that we can do is upskill and train our community, and upskill
our nursing staff who want to train in midwifery because they can do that
whilst in place. I am pleased to update the house that the first cohort of our
15 nursing to midwifery conversion students have now completed their 18-month
training, and a further 30 will qualify before the end of the year. That means
45 of our regional nurses will be competent in delivering babies in regional Western
Australia. That is an increase of 45 midwives this year. This is a fantastic
outcome and the feedback has been outstanding from the staff who have been able
to do it and can continue to support their families. It is also important
because families generally operate on two incomes. That means that people can
continue to work as registered nurses and earn while they upskill and translate
those skills to midwifery.
We
are also delivering on important infrastructure redevelopments. The Premier
mentioned Newman Health Service and, of course, we also have radiation
oncology in Albany, the birthing suites at Broome Health Campus, a range of
upgrades to regional healthcare facilities, 30 new beds in Bunbury,
redevelopment at Bunbury Regional Hospital,
and Geraldton is underway. We also have more paid paramedics in Geraldton ,
Bunbury, Busselton, Esperance, Margaret River, Harvey, Northam, Narrogin and
Newman; these are newly created paid
paramedic positions under this government. Finally, we have also boosted the
midwifery group practice across the state to provide more access and a better
model of care that midwives want to work in in regional Western Australia. That
has been rolled out and is an outstanding success, particularly in Karratha.
Finally, the most important cost-of-living measure for regional patients, which
the Liberals and Nationals WA did nothing with for eight and a half years, is
the increase to the fuel subsidy for the patient assisted travel scheme and the
accommodation allowance.
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