Connected | SARRAH Weekly Newsletter 26 May 2023

From the CEO's desk

On Wednesday this week Liz Ritchie, Regional Australia Institute CEO, put a clear case to the nation about why the need for a more informed and comprehensive approach to policy impacting regional rural and remote Australia. Health care, services and jobs feature strongly and SARRAH’s work implementing the Allied Health Rural Generalist pathway was identified as an example of how things might be better managed going forward. Hopefully Liz’s address will be available through the RAI website soon. This media release highlights some of the key issues in her address.

The following excerpt from the address, indicates the scope and flavour:
“It’s my view, that the current mental models for economic and decision making are outdated, entrenched and not serving us. The current state of regional Australia is a result of generations of geographical bias and misunderstanding. …. Nor have regional people consistently sat at the table to be part of active and long-term partnerships. Decades of mis-matching investment hasn’t served regional Australia well. ….. If we are willing to shift our gaze to our regions, we will see solutions emerging. We need to stop dealing with regional issues as a single government department’s problem or budget line item. Stop thinking this is a local government’s issue to fix by applying for a one-off grant. Since the inception of the RAI, we have worked with over 40 different state and federal ministers holding office in a portfolio of Regional Development. Fragmented approaches and silos have all contributed to the challenge we experience today. ….. At the RAI, we look at the light and shade of regional Australia. And we see a huge number of solutions. For example: The Yorke and Mid North region in South Australia built 102 houses across 11 small communities by brokering partnerships between housing providers, developers, councils and financiers. Allied health services in regions are being strengthened through the creation of a 'rural generalist pathway' which recognises the breadth of skills and experience that allied professionals offer in rural settings. And regional communities created the 'regional university centre', that provides local support for tertiary students...”

Travel Safe,

Cath

On the 6^th anniversary of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the AIHW released a report on racism and racial discrimination as “key determinants of health and wellbeing. Experiences of racism and racial discrimination are common for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and are associated with negative impacts on mental health and on social and emotional wellbeing. Racism towards Indigenous Australians has been reported across a variety of health-service settings and leads to psychological distress, disengagement with health services and not seeking care when needed. The development and implementation of well-designed cultural safety programs across the health system is critical to providing a safe environment, free of racism, for Indigenous Australians.” The report should be available on the AIHW website soon.

Tarita Fisher, a nutritionist by background and Manager of Cherbourg Health Services, is joining us to share her story. Tarita is mother and leader in her community. Tarita has worked for Queensland Health for over 23 years in various roles. Tarita is passionate about Aboriginal Health and is a strong advocate to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal peoples.

Register now at https://sarrahorg.wufoo.com/forms/zk28w530nyxc0f/
We will share the link to access the webinar shortly.

SARRAH 2024 National Rural and Remote Allied Health Conference
Call for Expression of Interest – Organising and Scientific Committees.
SARRAH is excited to announce that next year's National Conference will be held in beautiful Mildura in September. We are calling for expressions of interest from our members to volunteer to join the Conference Organising and Scientific Committees.

The SARRAH National Conference is recognised as one of the key events where allied health professionals working in rural and remote areas can network and share ideas, concerns, and solutions for bringing new ideas and solutions that will improve the quality of allied health services for rural and remote Australia.

The Conference attracts a broad range of presenters and delegates, including researchers and practitioners - this is a great opportunity to be part of something amazing.

The role and responsibilities of Conference Committee Members included but are not limited to:

set the strategic direction for the Conference, including conference objectives, abstract selection, keynote speakers, program development.
draft relevant Conference documentation, including sponsorship strategy, a thematic overview, concept note, website content, call for abstracts, running sheets, promotional.
undertake outreach and communication, including approaching potential sponsors, keynote speakers; and
any other tasks assigned by the SARRAH Board and the CEO.

Committee members and their organisations will be duly recognised and acknowledged on the conference website, and committee members receive free conference registration.
Criteria for membership of a conference committee include:

ability to attend regular Conference Committee meetings held every three weeks from July until the dates of the Conference in September 2024;
ability to commit significant time to participate in reviewing abstracts and full papers, and to attend the conference.
demonstrated experience in organising a conference or in being on a conference committee; and
active knowledge of and commitment to the aims and objectives of SARRAH Strategic goals.

How to apply:
If you are interested in joining a committee, please submit an EOI by completing the form available here and email with your CV to sarrah@sarrah.org.au by Friday 16 June 2023.

For more information please contact the SARRAH National Office on 1800 338 061.

Croakey published responses to aspects of the Commonwealth Budget this week, which included some interesting observations by Associate Professor Fay McMillan (Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner) about the need for more placed-based policy and Kylie Woolcock (CEO, Australian Health and Hospital Association) about workforce as a key component to successful health reform.

Covid 19 – we’re experiencing a resurgence of Covid infections nationally. Data shows infection rates are climbing across the community, including in aged care facilities. Don’t forget your vaccinations and boosters.

State Budgets released this week

Victorian Budget – see Healthcare: Where and when you need it | Victorian Budget 23/24 | Victorian Budget; Supporting our healthcare workforce | Victorian Budget 23/24 | Victorian Budget; Improving access to primary care | Victorian Budget 23/24 | Victorian Budget. More infrastructure and hospital funding makes the headlines; no spotlight on allied health specifically; but an important acknowledgement we hope guides future investment - This Budget includes $421 million for nine health initiatives focused on early intervention. This brings our total investment in early intervention over three budgets to $1.5 billion, which will change the trajectory of people's lives, and is anticipated to generate at least $1.8 billion of benefits over the next decade. Benefits include improved health and wellbeing, avoided costs from state services, higher workforce participation, lower welfare payments and less out-of-pocket health costs to those needing care.”

Tasmanian Budget - Health is the headline item, together with Education. See https://www.premier.tas.gov.au/budget_2022/budget_releases. A notable inclusion - “This Budget delivers funding for our nation-leading Allied Health Scholarship initiative which will boost our Allied Health workforce. The Scholarship will see up to 45 allied health professionals added to the Tasmanian Health Service (THS) from 2024, providing an immediate workforce boost on the ground in areas that are currently experiencing workforce shortages.”

In other State and Territory news …

The Western Australian Government is working with local government to reduce red tape and ease the burden on many regional local governments engaging GPs. Due to the worldwide challenges in attracting and retaining medical professionals in rural and remote areas, many Western Australian local governments take on a key role contracting GPs by providing incentives such as housing and other living subsidies. Despite primary care predominantly being a Federal Government responsibility, the State Government is committed to doing everything it can to support our healthcare workforce. The same issues apply to other health professions of course.

In Queensland, Premier Palaszczuk reported to Queensland Parliament that “At the last sitting I announced a recruitment program to bolster numbers of health workers. Doctors would be eligible for up to $70,000 to take up a job in regional or remote Queensland. Other healthcare workers would receive up to $20,000. Well, … As of this morning—just wait—680 doctors and healthcare workers have expressed interest in taking up our offer. This includes 340 from interstate, 205 from other parts of Queensland and 131 from overseas. ….—we have hired 17,000 extra frontline workers—3,100 more doctors, 10,600 more nurses and midwives, 1,100 ambulance officers and 2,400 allied health professionals. Some 9,475 more health workers have been hired simply in the first two years of this term of government including 1,500 doctors and 5,800 nurses and midwives, but we know we must do more“

The Community Services Industry Alliance (CSIA) on 25 May released Strengthening Queensland’s NDIS Workforce 2022.
The report is no surprise but a welcome addition to the mounting case for a concerted national allied health workforce plan.
Page 2 – on the NDIS Workforce – However, this growth is still not enough to keep pace with demand, with employers continuing to report that they struggle to find sufficient numbers of suitable workers. There are also critical shortages of certain allied health professionals essential in determining eligibility and providing NDIS supports.
Queensland has a higher number of aged and disabled carers per 100 participants than most other states and territories, but fewer than average for most allied health occupations, indicating that Queensland may feel these particular shortages even more acutely.
Page 3 – profiles a workforce initiative - Research into the use of allied health assistants as a means of meeting the demand for allied health supports under the NDIS and development of the Allied Health Assistants Good Practice Guide.
Page 10 – among the Key Findings of the report

Services for the large number of participants aged 0-6 receiving support for development delay are likely to be impacted by ongoing and critical shortages of allied health professionals and early childhood educators.
Continuing underspend on NDIS capacity building support could point to a gap in services and skills to provide these supports, such as allied health professionals.

Page 42 – “Allied Health Assistance The skilling of allied health assistants (AHAs) has been another priority focus during the time of this research project. The use of AHAs in para-professional roles to support allied health professionals (AHPs), has been found to alleviate shortages of AHPs, particularly in regional and remote areas. They also provide a cost-effective means of maximising the number of allied health support hours participants can cover with their budgets, freeing up AHPs to focus on high-level therapeutic assessments and clinical services that can only be delivered by an AHP. In regional and remote areas, AHAs can deliver services to participants under telehealth supervision from an AHP, opening up access to allied health services that participants in these areas would otherwise not receive. Queensland Productivity Commission inquiry into the NDIS Market in Queensland recommended the Commonwealth fund a pilot for AHAs to better understand their potential usability in the NDIS market. Queensland Government also accepted this recommendation. The resource, The Allied Health Assistants Good Practice Guide10, provides practical advice for service providers on the incorporation of AHA’s into their workforce and business model. Enrolments in the two Allied Health Assistance qualifications have been steadily growing, with notable increases of 42 per cent (an additional 194 enrolments) in the Certificate III and 26 per cent (an additional 287 enrolments) in the Certificate IV, between 2020 and 2021.

Palliative Care –Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, says Australians who need palliative care will benefit from enhanced workforce education and training and improved quality through Albanese Government funding totalling more than $68 million.

SARRAH Submissions
SARRAH provided a brief submission to the Tasmanian Government exposure draft of the Long-Term Plan for Healthcare in Tasmania 2040. Our submission will be available on the SARRAH website shortly.

SUBMISSIONS CLOSING SOON

The Federal Government has committed to release a Measuring What Matters Statement process. You can find out more about the process, being led by Treasury, here. Consultation materials are provided on the website. We are invited to respond via the online feedback form, or the form provided in the consultation pack. Feedback is due by 26 May 2023.

FORTHCOMING SUBMISSIONS
The Department of Health and Aged Care is inviting feedback on a new model for regulating aged care as part of changes to improve the quality and safety of aged care in Australia.

Consultation on A new model for regulating Aged Care, Consultation Paper No.2: Details of the proposed new model will close on 23 June 2023. The model includes changes to how providers enter the sector, the obligations that a provider must meet, and strengthened monitoring and enforcement powers for the aged care Regulator. The paper follows a Concept Paper released in February 2022 and Consultation Paper No.1 – A new model for regulating aged care released in September 2022. To find out more about the regulatory mode and how to engage please visit the Aged Care Engagement Hub – regulatory model page.

CONSULTATION REMINDERS
The Joint Standing Committee (JSC) on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Inquiry into and report on general issues around the implementation, performance, governance, administration and expenditure of the NDIS. Submissions close on 30 June 2023

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights is to hold an inquiry and report by 31 March 2024 to:

review the scope and effectiveness of Australia's 2010 Human Rights Framework and the National Human Rights Action Plan;
consider whether the Framework should be re-established, as well as the components of the Framework, and any improvements that should be made;
consider developments since 2010 in Australian human rights laws (both at the Commonwealth and State and Territory levels) and relevant case law; and
consider any other relevant matters.

The committee invites submissions by 1 July 2023. The Committee webpage can be found here.

Review of the NDIS continue: you can Have your say on the NDIS:
Readers will be aware the Federal Government is conducting a major review of the NDIS. The work will be ongoing throughout 2023. The consultation website is being hosted by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Review will consider the findings of other reviews and parliamentary inquiries but are especially interested in “what you think about how the NDIS is working now”. The Reviews is inviting input through a range of mechanisms but recommend you read the paper, Our Approach, before contributing.

Interested in contributing to a SARRAH submission? Please send comments to allan@sarrah.org.au

Virtual patients in communication skills training?
Researchers at Flinders University, The University of Queensland, and University of South Australia are exploring health professionals’ attitudes to the use of virtual patients in communication skills training. Virtual patients allow health professionals to learn and practise communication skills in a safe and structured environment.
You are invited to participate in the study by completing a short online survey about your views of the use of virtual patients in communication skills training. The survey is anonymous and will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. If you would like to participate in this study, you can access the survey by clicking on the following link.
https://qualtrics.flinders.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_5dQcnlW7DBVKmhg

Participation in the project is voluntary.

IAHA National Conference 2023 - 27-29 November. Join us on the traditional lands of the Kabi Kabi peoples, Sunshine Coast.
The 2023 IAHA National Conference recognises the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the diversity of our membership, as well as interdisciplinary actions within the allied health sector. IAHA recognises how sustained holistic, strengths-based approaches to health and wellbeing can achieve health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

National Conference delegates will experience:

Professional development that challenges them both personally and professionally
Networking opportunities with likeminded people within a culturally diverse and safe space
Opportunities for growth, learning and healing
A Gala celebration of excellence in the Indigenous allied health sector
Enriching cultural experiences

The 2023 GROW Rural South West Queensland cohort application round will open on Thursday, 1 June 2023.
As a workforce solution, GROW Rural now works collaboratively with each region’s practices, health services and targeted communities to grow, over the course of the program, structured pathways into identified employment opportunities for graduated GROW Rural students. For GROW Rural students, the program offers pre-employment relationship-building, supported placements and the development of occupational and interpersonal skills required to become job ready.

For GROW Rural communities, the program offers opportunities to actively participate in being part of the workforce solution and to grow Queensland’s future health professionals. READ MORE

Complete Advertising Listing Form and submit it to sarrah@sarrah.org.au .

Copyright © 2023 Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH). All rights reserved.

Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health
Level 2, 53 Blackall Street, Barton, ACT, 2600

Contact us
Phone: 1800 338 061
Email: sarrah@sarrah.org.au

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