Target 2020 - Shaping up the health workforce and more
Health workforce - two words guaranteed to strike terror into
the heart of the most resilient health manager. New Zealand
has a long history of worrying about its health workforce but
failing to act.
Current finance minister Bill English is just one of a number of
former health ministers who have shied away from the hard
decisions with regard to workforce. Back in 1998
he rejected the recommendation of the Government-appointed CAPE
(Committee Advising on Professional Education) that a crown agency
be set up to oversee medical workforce planning. At the time Mr
English said he preferred to boost employers' input into any future
workforce education and training requirements.
At present, political hopes are being pinned on Health Workforce
NZ, to not only find a solution for the health workforce problem
but present it in the context of a reshaped health service able to
withstand the challenges of rising costs and an ageing
population.
Revamping the GP workforce
HWNZ executive chair Des Gorman sees the general practice
workforce as the natural starting point for change. He is asking
the following questions of the sector.
1. "Is the term "primary" in reference to health care pejorative
and misleading, and does it contribute to community care being
under-resourced?"
2. "What service configurations and models of care will best
meet need with respect to community-based and integrated health
care? How should these services be governed? How should these
services be funded and the providers involved be remunerated?
3. "Given the example of the rural hospital scheme and some
district hospital examples in New Zealand, what is the role, if
any, of the general medical practitioner in rural, district and
metropolitan hospitals?"
4. "What could or should be the scopes of practice for medical
practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and practice assistants (PAs) in
community-based and integrated care settings?"
New Zealand Doctor has teased these questions out
a bit in the Crikey blogs
and we're interested in your suggestions.
Recent coverage of workforce issues
GP training set for big overhaul - 19 May
2010
A shake-up of GP training aims to make general practice the career
of choice for medical students. Read
more
Suck it and see − 19 May 2010
[Editorial] The physician assistant "pilot" at Middlemore
Hospital was in the news recently. Medical and nursing groups want
more input from their organisations into the pilot which, given it
involves the employment of only two US-trained physician
assistants, is probably less of a pilot and more of a "suck it and
see". Read more
Joint approach to GP training announced - 6 May
2010
[Media release]. Health Workforce New Zealand, the RNZCGP and the
Medical Council of New Zealand are to work together on a national
project to change the way general practitioners are trained. View
release
Letter from Des Gorman − 30 April 2010
This week Health Workforce New Zealand (HWNZ) publishes its first
annual plan. As Chair of HWNZ, I want to ensure that professional
and staff representative organisations and healthcare providers
have an opportunity to see the plans we have outlined for 2010/11
and to provide us with feedback. View letter
Health Workforce New Zealand publishes first annual
plan − 30 April 2010
[Media release] Health Workforce New Zealand (HWNZ) has today
published its inaugural annual plan. It sets out a range of
initiatives scheduled for the coming year as part of its remit of
providing national leadership and co-ordination of workforce
training and development across the health and disability sector.
View
release
Health Workforce New Zealand Annual Plan
2010-2011 - 30 April 2010
11-page pdf summarising workforce streams and agencies responsible
for getting things done. download pdf here
New approach to sustainable health services -
18 January 2010
[Media release] Six months ago Health Workforce NZ (the Clinical
Training Agency Board) was formed to address the issues faced in
health sector workforce development. Its aim is to provide a
single, coordinated response to improving our ability to train,
recruit and retain our health workforce view
release
Back in the nineties - missed opportunity
Workforce planning to get dusted off again - 12
May 1999
Yet more discussion on the medical workforce planning is expected
with the release of a new government report this month. Ironically
the report will come nearly a year after former health minister
Bill English disbanded CAPE (Committee Advising on Professional
Education), supposedly leaving the market place to take care of
workforce needs. Read
more
CAPE dismantled in favour of ministry - 10 June
1998
CAPE is to be disestablished from 30 June and its functions taken
over by the Ministry of Health. Read
more
Workforce agency plan is rejected by English -
21 January 1998
Health Minister Bill English has rejected CAPE's recommendation a
crown agency be set up to oversee medical workforce planning. Read
more
Crown agency for work force training proposed -
12 November 1997
A new crown agency is needed to ensure better education of the
health and disability workforce, according to CAPE. Its
recommendation has the backing of several key sector groups;
however, the Clinical Training Agency questions whether such an
agency would address the issues raised in CAPE's report. Read
more
Submission surge welcomed - 3 September
1997
A surge of submissions received on two proposals to improve health
workforce training and education has delighted a government
appointed taskforce on professional education. Read more