Allied Health WorkforceChief Allied Health AdviserStrategic Control Workforce and Regulation

Allied Health Professions in DHHS

Audiology Dental therapy Dental prosthetics Dental hygiene Dietetics/nutrition Environmental health Medical and health physics Medical imaging Nuclear medicine Radiation therapy Medical librarian Medical science Occupational therapy

Optometry Orthoptics Orthotics and prosthetics Pharmacy Physiotherapy Podiatry Psychology Speech pathology Sonography Social work Counsellor (Chaplaincy)

Allied Health Services

Allied health professionals work in all DHHS service programs

Acute and community healthMental health Oral healthDisability child, youth and family servicesAged care and rehabilitationForensic mental healthAlcohol and drugsCancer screeningPopulation healthTas Ambulance

Allied Heath Service Sites

Allied health professionals work across a range of service sites:

• Acute hospitals• Regional hospitals• Community health centres• Integrated care centres• Multipurpose centres• Outreach services• Client homes• Education facilities• Local councils

Related support roles

• Assistants

Allied health Dental LaboratoryLibraryPharmacy

• Technicians

Laboratory

Pharmacy

Dental

Allied Health Training Programs

• UTAS offers: Medical science

Social work

Psychology

Pharmacy

Environmental health

Medical imaging

• VET offers: Allied health assistant –

generic, profession specific

Aged Care, rehabilitation and community assistant roles

Oral health – assistants, technicians

Pharmacy - assistants and technicians

Prosthetic technicians

Drivers for workforce data

• National and state demographics

• Tas health demographics

• Need for patient centred care at all levels of

health care

• New and emerging roles

• Efficiencies and costs

• Max use of skills in available workforce

Context for workforce mapping

• National: National Health Workforce Strategic Framework 2004 National Health Workforce Innovation and Reform

Strategic Framework for Action 2011 – 2015 The National Rural and Remote Health Workforce

Innovation and Reform Strategy AIHW Allied Health Workforce 2012 (National Health

Workforce Series Number 5) Mental and Primary Health Workforce Reform HWA Workforce Reform Agenda Grattan report

Context for workforce mapping

• TasmaniaCommission on Delivery of Health Services in

Tasmania

Tasmanian Health Workforce Strategy

(CAPABLE)

Making the most of our health workforce

• Full scope of practice – diffs with private and public eg x-ray requests

• Advanced scope• Extended scope – catching up with other states and

internationally • Evidence based practice• Support workforce – supervision and delegation

frameworks; full scope of practice• Clinical redesign projects impact• Health practitioner prescribing pathway

Workforce mapping AHPs in public health system

2003 Last mapped with 2002 data 19 professions, 969 staff over 763.91 FTE

2009 Tasmanian Allied Health & Oral Health

Workforce Study 22 professions, statewide, survey (45%)

2014 DHHS Workforce mapping 28+ professions, around 1450 staff, ?FTE

Methodology

• Establishment list

• Verification of the establishment

National information: ABS Professional associations HWA AIHW AHPRA

Challenges for mapping AHP workforce

• Number of professions and size of this workforce group in DHHS and THOs

• Registered and unregistered professions

• Disaggregation of the workforce – multiple sites and

services

• Titles and identifying AHPs in generic roles eg AH

professional

• Lack of data nationally and state – how to obtain

• Resourcing

Future challenges

• Maintaining small but critical professions –

training pathways, tertiary sector choices

• Overcoming cultural and professional barriers

• Increasing client access to services

• Maintaining safety and quality

• Credentialing for new scopes of practice