Analyse the major recommendations in the Nursing Workforce Sustainability Report (2014) and determine if these recommendations are still relevant in 2018
Task
Health Workforce Australia (2014) produced a report Nursing Workforce Sustainability: Improving Nurse Retention and Productivity (called the Nursing Workforce Sustainability Report). The key findings from the report were: In common with other developed health systems, Australia faces a major challenge in sustaining a health workforce that will meet the rapidly rising demand for health care. Demand is being driven by an ageing population living longer with more complex problems, combined with rising costs of technology and treatment and increasing consumer expectations (p.1). Health Workforce Australia prepared two subsequent reports relating to modelling future nursing requirements1, 2 and in the Nursing Workforce Sustainability Report (2014) identified that:
Retrieved from: https://submissions.education.gov.au/forms/archive/2015_16_sol/documents/Attachments/Australian%20Nursing %20and%20Midwifery%20Accreditation%20Council%20(ANMAC).pdf
Health Workforce Australia (HWA) (2012). HW2025 Doctors, Nurses and Midwives (called HW2025).
The reports confirm that population health trends, combined with an aging nursing workforce and poor retention rates, will lead to an imminent nursing shortage. Co-ordinated action is needed if the projected gap between the supply of nurses and the demand for nursing services is to be reduced (p.1). The assignment, to be presented in report format, should address each of the following questions:
1) Prepare an updated workforce profile on the nursing workforce in Australia, by updating the tables 1a, 1b, 1c (p. 8-9) in the Nursing Workforce Sustainability Report (HWA, 2015) to report 2009, 2012, and 2015 data. 2015 data is to be sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) website
2) What are the findings from adding more recent material? Has the supply improved? Have the characteristics of the workforce changed?
3) Undertake an Environmental Scan of the Australian nursing workforce by reviewing relevant literature including reports and articles to determine the current and future status of the total nursing workforce in terms of under or oversupply or balance. Are there differences between different service sectors (e.g. acute care, aged care, critical care and emergency)?
4) What is the geographic distribution of the nursing workforce and has this improved?
5) Analyse the major recommendations in the Nursing Workforce Sustainability Report (2014) and determine if these recommendations are still relevant in 2018.
Criteria
You will be assessed on the following:
• Academic writing skills, use of report format and APA.
• Ability to introduce the topic and findings in a well summarised Executive Summary.
• Identification, extraction and analysis of health workforce data.
• Use of charts and or tables to support analysis and comparison of key data.
• Critical analysis and synthesis of the relevant literature and data to support your findings.