title: Regional health workforce planning through action research: lessons for commissioning health services from a case study in Far North Queensland.
abstract: Creating a stable and sustainable health workforce in regional, rural and remote Australia has long been a challenge to health workforce planners, policy makers and researchers alike. Traditional health workforce planning is often reactive and assumes continuation of current patterns of healthcare utilisation. This demonstration project in Far North Queensland exemplifies how participatory regional health workforce planning processes can accurately model current and projected local workforce requirements. The recent establishment of Primary Health Networks (PHNs) with the intent to commission health services tailored to individual healthcare needs underlines the relevance of such an approach. This study used action research methodology informed by World Health Organization (WHO) systems thinking. Four cyclical stages of health workforce planning were followed: needs assessment; health service model redesign; skills-set assessment and workforce redesign; and development of a workforce and training plan. This study demonstrated that needs-based loco-regional health workforce planning can be achieved successfully through participatory processes with stakeholders. Stronger health systems and workforce training solutions were delivered by facilitating linkages and planning processes based on community need involving healthcare professionals across all disciplines and sectors. By focusing upon extending competencies and skills sets, local health professionals form a stable and sustainable local workforce. Concrete examples of initiatives generated from this process include developing a chronic disease inter-professional teaching clinic in a rural town and renal dialysis being delivered locally to an Aboriginal community. The growing trend of policy makers decentralising health funding, planning and accountability and rising health system costs increase the future utility of this approach. This type of planning can also assist the new PHNs to commission health services that meet the needs of the population and contribute to service and system improvement and innovation.
authors.affiliation: James Cook University, College of Medicine, JCU Cairns Clinical School, Cairns, Qld 4780, Australia.
authors.forename: Annette June
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Panzera
authors.affiliation: James Cook University, Douglas Campus, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: James Cook University, College of Medicine and Dentistry, Jack Street, Atherton, Qld 4883, Australia.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: James Cook University, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition, PO Box 6811, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: Queensland Health, Cairns Hospital, The Esplanade, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Beaton
authors.affiliation: James Cook University, Douglas Campus, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Larkins
mesh_terms: D006285:Health Planning; D006292:Health Priorities; D006302:Health Services Research; D006280:Health Workforce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011793:Queensland; D012040:Regional Health Planning; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012424:Rural Population