Enduring Strategy 7 – Culture and workforce to support new models of care

A passionate and engaged workforce, with a culture that supports patient safety and outcomes within a high performing health system.

A workforce model and mix that provides the right services, at the right time, by the right people; and which focuses on the needs of the population through contemporary models of care. 

View recommendations 23 to 27

Building workforce capability and partnering with universities and vocational training providers to shape the skills of future health personnel

Priorities for 2024

  • Systemwide release of the WA Health Workforce Strategy  2034 and implementation plan
  • Establish Strategic Priority Implementation Groups to develop workplans and drive implementation of 6 key priorities:
    • modelling – shape workforce through responsive and agile modelling and planning
    • attraction – continue to build a sustainable pipeline and attract a world class workforce
    • retention – retain our people through supporting, valuing and empowering their employee journey
    • leadership – encourage our people to achieve excellence, providing high quality clinical, corporate and system leadership
    • digitalisation – foster innovation and respond to future challenges, building a systemwide culture or change readiness
    • partnerships – collaborate across preventative, community, primary and acute health to support the patient journey
  • Implement strategic partnerships with training institutions and Department of Education, facilitating industry discussion and mapping pathways to support a fit-for-purpose and digitally ready workforce to meet future demands.
  • Engage with specialist medical colleges to address current and future workforce shortages.

Achievements

  • Cabinet endorsed WA Health Workforce Strategy and Implementation Plan
  • Establishment of Workforce Strategy Control Group to provide oversight and drive implementation of strategy with systemwide executive representation
Enduring Strategy 7 achievements
  • $11.7 million in federal funding secured to deliver the Nurse Practitioner and Team-Based Primary Care Pilot, in collaboration with the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, and the WA Primary Health Care Alliance (February 2023).
  • New HRplus payroll system design completed (July 2022), ready for the build and test phase of the project.
  • Awarding of 2 major contracts to develop an integrated HR, payroll and rostering system for all WA health system employees (February 2022). The new system will provide over 60,000 staff with greater visibility and accuracy of information, as well as improved features and functionality.
  • New boards for PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA (external site) and Health Support Services (external site) took effect from 1 July, 2020. These additions to the already established health service provider boards have brought a uniform approach to governance and accountability in the WA’s health system.
Last reviewed: 01-10-2024