While investment in Medicare dominated Federal Budget announcements this week, the 2023-2024 Western Australian State Budget, released Thursday, 11 May 2023, has targeted building and retaining the State’s healthcare workforce.
The McGowan Government announced $28.5 million of new attraction and retention initiatives, including $4.2 million for HECS-HELP grants of up to $12,000 over three years to attract newly qualified nurses and midwives to work in regional WA.
Specifically, newly qualified nurses and midwives who go to work at priority remote and regional public hospitals will be eligible, with places for up to 350 recent graduates who commence work in the regions in 2023-24.
Wrap-around support worth $3.6 million will also be provided for up to 1,200 nurse and midwife graduates at WA’s public hospitals.
“We know HECS-HELP debts can be a significant burden for people at the start of their careers and in many cases take years to pay off,” Premier Mark McGowan said.
“These new HECS-HELP grants will give nurses and midwives a significant head-start at the beginning of their careers, while boosting the workforces of remote and regional hospitals where it is most needed.
“This Budget includes a range of new initiatives designed to ensure WA is well positioned in building a skilled workforce for the future, and nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers are one of our top priorities.”
He also pointed out that the initiative (eventually) met an election commitment to increase nursing and midwifery graduate placements by 400 in 2021 and 2022.
In the past 10 years the number of graduate positions offered in WA increased by 78%, with 1,449 graduate positions offered in 2022, compared to 814 nurses and midwives accepting a graduate position in 2012.
A further $15 million in 2023-24 has been allocated for incentives to attract and retain health and mental health staff to regional WA.
In addition, ten Aboriginal mental health workers will be recruited as part of a $5.8 million boost to infant, child, and adolescent (ICA) services across WA – a recommendation of the ICA Taskforce – to improve the provision of culturally secure and appropriate services to First Nations people requiring mental health services.
The State Government will also invest $1 million in 2023-24 to extend the Belong advertising and recruitment campaign, which targets healthcare workers based overseas to recruit for the WA health system.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson explained that the continuation of Belong will ensure that WA remains competitive with other States that are also seeking to recruit healthcare workers internationally.
“Our healthcare workforce is the backbone of our public health system, and we are investing in a range of measures to continue to bolster its numbers,” Minister Sanderson said.
“Since 2020, our healthcare workforce has increased by 22%, which is a huge achievement amid global workforce pressures – but we cannot stop there.”