Building a Sustainable Health Workforce: 2007 NSW Health Awards
Delivery of quality health services depends on having adequate numbers of skilled staff working where they are needed. Addressing the current shortfall in the supply of health professionals is one of our key priorities for the future. A shortage of staff or uneven distribution of staff will limit consumer access to the health care needed.
What we are striving for in 2010 is a health system that values its workforce as a vital resource and treats staff fairly and with respect. The health workforce needed for 2010 will be planned, trained, organised and deployed creatively and intelligently to focus on the changing needs of health consumers, carers and the wider population.
Winner
- Australian Medical Council Graduates - Setting Them Up To Succeed - A professional development program to support the transition of this group of doctors to the Australian clinical setting.
Finalists
- Building Our Rural Mental Health Workforce - The employment of ENs to carry out a specific role within the mental health team enabled a more flexible approach to existing workloads.
- Remote Medical Consultation Program - This program addresses GP workload issues and fatigue in a rural district hospital, by systems engineering after hours arrangements for medical consultation.
Entries
- A Multi-disciplinary Human Factors Training Course - This project assessed the impact of multi-disciplinary human factors training courses integrated with resuscitation training for GP registrars and nurses to improve safety protective attitudes and behaviours in rural hospitals.
- Bundle Monitoring Model (BuMM™) - BuMM™ assists in delivering high quality healthcare by increasing skill and capacity to combine professional knowledge with improvement knowledge within a scientific framework.
- Developing knowledge and skills for diabetes prevention - The implementation of a service which provides a pathway for rural health professionals to participate in diabetes education, and share that knowledge with the braoder community.
- Enhancing Carer Friendly Health Practices - A program to improve the way acute health staff identify, support, inform, communicate with and involve carers.
- FUDGES Project - 'Follow Up Discharge General Enquiry Support’ is a mental health consumer initiated project which provides assistance, understanding and support to mental health patients during their first 4 - 6 weeks post discharge from hospital.
- Higher School Certificate (HSC) Nursing Studies Program - A program that enables students the opportunity to explore nursing as a career whilst still at school.
- Incident Information Management System and Practice Improvement Projects - An educational program to assist staff to make the link between IIMS Data and practice improvement.
- Leeton District Hospital Midwifery Training Program - Leeton District Hospital developed a Midwifery training program in partnership with Charles Sturt University Wagga and Griffith/Wagga Base Hospitals to address a critical shortage of midwives in the town.
- No Strings Attached - A nursing recruitment initiative designed to give nurses who are not in the workforce the opportunity to make an informed decision about seeking employment.
- Occupational Therapy Clinical Competency Checklists - Clinical competency checklists ensure a clear and objective method is used in determining staff skill.
- Push Hard Push Fast - A project for staff trainning in the implementation of revised guidelines for new defibrillators.
- Service First, Corporate Services, SWAHS - Competency based training covering communication and professionalism, customer service, teamwork, cultural competence, self esteem and stress management.
- Working in Partnership to Create a Sustainable Nursing Workforce - A program to decrease nursing vacancy rate and provide skilled motivated staff working in a safe environment.
- Working Towards Wellbeing - The introduction of new rostering practices for staff working within the Environmental Services Department has resulted in a reduction in sick leave and increased staff satisfaction.
