NCPHN Development of Workforce Profile

Situation

A lack of understanding of the region’s workforce in order to establish a workforce strategy

Our Solution

• A highly collaborative workforce mapping process
• An allied health and nursing survey
• A benchmark typology
• Practical recommendations to collect, capture, clean and validate workforce data

Benefits

• Better understanding of the region’s workforce
• A single data repository, including interactive workforce ‘heat maps’ (PowerBI)
• Roadmap for developing a workforce strategy

Access to comprehensive, reliable and timely primary health care workforce data is a significant challenge. However, in the absence of a national solution, Grosvenor found that this is further exacerbated by a lack of communication and collaboration amongst some health professionals and peripheral stakeholders, driven largely by competing priorities and expectations.

By clearly and effectively articulating the vision and benefits of closer collaboration, our team was able to work with our client to weaken longstanding differences and build a diverse, supportive and productive Steering Group. The group consisted of representatives across primary health, including academia. An inclusive and solution-driven approach empowered the Steering Group to actively contribute to the project’s final outcomes, including the development and distribution of a comprehensive workforce survey.

NCPHN not only gained a better understanding of its primary health care workforce, but the project facilitated greater cooperation and enduring partnerships between local service providers, community members, academia and leading health bodies. These partnerships are the catalyst for future transfers of, and the development and delivery of holistic workforce initiatives that meet the population’s health care needs.

“[Grosvenor’s] team worked tirelessly to help NCPHN achieve our goals. As a result of the project we now have a map of the primary health care workforce on the NSW North Coast and a clear road map for how we should undertake workforce planning into the future.” – North Coast Primary Health Network