Australia has, arguably, one of the best healthcare systems in the world. However, it has faced unprecedented pressure for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exposing numerous long standing vulnerabilities nationwide that we are continuing to address today, – including within the state of Victoria.
Healthcare and reforms in Victoria
One of the most pressing challenges faced by Victoria’s healthcare system in the last few years has been workforce burnout. The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic compounded an already stressful work environment and resulted in healthcare workers resigning en masse, further exacerbating existing issues in delivering timely, quality healthcare – such as long patient waiting times and staff shortages.
The Victorian state government – recently re-elected – has pledged to reform and enhance the healthcare system in the state. Many of these pledges revolve around billions of dollars invested in building more hospitals and centres, but the government’s Health Workforce Strategy, soon to be released in mid-2023, is expected to highlight and prioritise the severe staff shortage in the system, as it must be urgently addressed to alleviate the current issues.
Some of the earliest announced steps involve increasing funding to attract more healthcare workers back to the workforce. While this is an important first step, it is only a stopgap measure; thoroughly addressing the sector’s most fundamental problems and enabling a true revitalisation of the Victorian healthcare workforce requires a holistic approach, especially to ensure a career in healthcare remains sustainable in today’s environment.
Crashing and burning from sheer overload
Between 2020 and 2021 – the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – healthcare worker resignations in Victoria surged by almost 20 percent. About 200 workers walked out a week, many due to sheer burnout. Multiple studies were conducted on the wellbeing of Australian healthcare professionals in both years, and all agreed – burnout is a real and pressing problem.
While COVID-19 may have brought the problems of working in mainstream healthcare services to a head, these issues are by no means novel. In fact, there has been a chronic shortage of nurses in Australia even pre-COVID; in 2014, the national Department of Health projected a shortfall of 85,000 nurses by 2025. That figure is almost certainly more now.
Yet it is not for a lack of interest. A proportion of our Homage Care Professionals were previously public health professionals, but became CPs because of greater flexibility and autonomy while continuing to use their skills to serve people. This signals a gap that must be addressed before incentives to attract and retain healthcare staff will bear fruit.
Flexibility and decentralisation could be the keys
The Victorian Skills Plan notes that some 65,000 health services workers are now needed to meet growing demand and replace those retiring. Providing monetary incentives is important to fill the gap, but this also needs to be complemented by a strong push for people-first policies. Better work flexibility and improved working conditions are crucial to reduce burnout, encourage new joiners, and enhance staff retention in the long term.
To decentralise healthcare access and alleviate the burden of public healthcare facilities, the state government has previously launched public-private partnerships such as the Better at Home initiative, which funds home-based and virtual health services to deliver more hospital services to patient homes. Expanding more such partnerships could elevate the whole healthcare system and make careers in healthcare more viable by allowing healthcare workers job mobility, thus extending the lifespan of their careers and expertise.
There is no doubt that healthcare reform in Victoria and throughout Australia is a complex task. However, reform now is much needed to reap the benefits in the long term, and it must start with the people – without the people, there is no healthcare system. It is important that the proposed reforms align with the real needs and concerns of the on-ground healthcare workers to have a significant impact. As always, Homage stands ready to help in whatever way we can to build a better healthcare industry for all.
