Health Workforce Stakeholder Group Meeting

27 September 2021

Img 2211 Hwsg Blog Image Screenedits

On Thursday 16 September Health Workforce Queensland hosted its 5th annual Health Workforce Stakeholder Group (HWSG) meeting. Several remote and rural health stakeholders congregated at the Novotel in South Brisbane for the first face to face HWSG meeting since 2019. 

Stakeholders who could not attend in person joined virtually online.

The HWSG continues to expand its organisation membership, and in 2021 we welcome the inclusion of Murtupuni Centre for Rural and Remote Health, Director Sabina Knight attending; Office of Rural and Remote Health- Future Proofing Our Rural Workforce Collaborative (FORCE) Chair Dr Ewen McPhee; and Southern Queensland Rural Health’s Director, Geoff Argus. We also welcomed new faces from existing organisation members, Katherine Isbister - CEO of CRANAplus; Paul Gibson - Director of Policy and Research at IAHA; Lawrie McArthur - Director of JCU GP Training; Robin Whyte-CEO of NQPHN; Cleveland Fagan - CEO of QAIHC; Kari Arbouin - Executive Director for the Office of Rural and Remote Health; Deborah Miller - Acting Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer, Queensland Health; and Sandy Gillies - CEO of WQPHN. 

The HWSG is an important group that provides advice and insights that challenge and validate the health professions and locations that are most in need in remote and rural Queensland. The HWSG provides important input to the Agency’s annual Health Workforce Needs Assessment which provides a detailed narrative about the current and emerging workforce issues for each health discipline in Queensland. 

Current and emerging workforce issues and opportunities were considered and discussed, as stakeholders provided their own perspectives from within their own professions, these included: 

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

  • Allied Health

  • Nursing

  • Medical

The issues and opportunities have been gathered from the sessions and will be considered for broader discussions on remote and rural health workforce solutions.

A highlight of the day was the stakeholder presentations which focused on the collaborative and innovative workforce projects in remote and rural Queensland. We thank the following Organisations for their input into the session:

  • UDRH Initiatives - Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH)

  • Transition to Practice - Australian Practice Nurse Association (APNA)

  • Reflective Practice - Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ)

  • Making Tracks Towards Health Equity - Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC)

  • Supported Student Placements, Going Rural - Health Workforce Queensland

We thank everyone for their contributions and conversations on the day, the energy from meeting face to face was evident and appreciated by all. 

As we continue to collaborate, we look forward to seeing positive outcomes for our remote and rural Queensland communities.