Aged Care Workforce Development Solutions: Brisbane South PHN
Status: Project completed early 2020
Client: Brisbane South PHN
Background
Beacon Strategies partnered with Brisbane South PHN to deliver on an action out of the joint Brisbane South PHN and Metro South Health Brisbane South Older People Health and Wellness Strategy 2019-2024. As part of this joint strategy, a capable workforce was identified as an enabler to achieving the vision and objectives within the joint strategy. One key action that was identified by the steering committee is to collaborate with stakeholders to co-design and enable the delivery of a workforce development strategy that focused on:
upskilling Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) and in home care workforce
attracting and rewarding GPs
improving gerontic content in clinical training pathways
attracting skilled clinicians in geriatric medicine in both the hospital and community settings.
Purpose
The purpose of the project was to lead the collaborative development of a localised aged care workforce strategy that aligns with the Brisbane South Older People’s Health and Wellness Strategy. As identified by the PHN, specific project objectives included:
Consolidate and understand existing datasets, policy reports, research and analysis required to inform a local workforce development strategy and action plan for aged care workforce development (cross-sectoral)
Review existing professional development options available for the aged care workforce and other sectors, identify any gaps or opportunities for improvement, and gain feedback from stakeholders about the value of existing professional development initiatives
Lead sector consultations and co-design activities including service providers and community members to better understand local issues and opportunities
Establish a cross-sectoral leadership group (an action identified in Brisbane South Older People’s Health and Wellness Strategy) that seeks to develop effective clinical relationships to support service innovation, continuous quality improvement and benchmarking, and service integration across health, aged and social care systems within the medical neighbourhood
Develop a local strategy and high level 5 year action plan that:
addresses the different needs of diverse workforces working with older people
provides guidance for how services can work together to deliver on what the community needs and desires and to improve system integration
identifies a number of potential innovative models of care and evidence based solutions to address current and future workforce needs
outlines a strategic approach to effective planning and investment for the Brisbane South region (including place-based approaches where relevant)
provide practical recommendations for priority actions that focus on the after-hours period, older people, end of life/palliative care, primary care workforce and in-home care
outlines expected outcomes and measures of success
aligns with the PHN’s model for person-centred care and the Brisbane South Older People’s Health and Wellness Strategy 2019-2024
Produce a report that will be used by Brisbane South PHN and other stakeholders to address workforce development needs and future opportunities over the next 5 years.
Outcomes
Brisbane South PHN and Metro South HHS published the developed Aged Care Workforce strategy in August 2020 and is now available below and on the Brisbane South PHN website here. This document informs the development of an action plan for the PHN and HHS as well as regular reporting over the term of the strategy from 2020-2024.
As a mission-based health and social services consultancy, Beacon Strategies is committed to partnering with PHNs to better plan, design, implement, evaluate and communicate their work in delivering health outcomes for local communities. If you want to find out more about the work we do for PHNs, click here!