Released in 2012 and refreshed in 2015, the Health Professionals Workforce Plan (Plan) has an important role in guiding the NSW Health system to focus on workforce planning and development against identified strategic priorities.

To ensure the refreshed Plan is evidence-based and fit for purpose, the Workforce Planning and Talent Development Branch (WPTD) commissioned Nous Group to consult with key leaders across NSW Health and the NSW Government. 

For November 2018 to July 2019, WPTD and Nous Group provided our stakeholders with a unique and extensive platform to capture the 'voice of the system' to align our future health workforce to meet the continued needs of the community. This included: 

  • ​Four roundtables with more than 120 representatives from Local Health Districts/Specialty Networks and health agencies
  • Nine in-depth interviews with key leaders in the NSW Health system and NSW Government 
  • Over 90 survey responses from frontline managers and team leaders spanning all professional clinical disciplines and networks.

The Health Professionals Workforce Plan Consultation Report​​ (Report) organises the messages emerging from the consultation process with six distinct themes and 18 different reforms ideas sitting under these themes. The Report also summarises key system-wide issues, challenges and blockers that repeatedly emerged as important in impacting the ability of NSW to achieve a fit for purpose health workforce now and into the future​. 

WPTD is now progressing to more specific future planning. The next phase will develop an action-oriented Plan with a two year focus and an emphasis on addressing the most pertinent system issues to 'unlock' progress for the health sector. 

Current as at: Friday 10 January 2020