Staff numbers fix: GV Health is hoping for some short-term workforce solutions while waiting for funding for a medical school. Photo by Megan Fisher
Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp said overseas recruitment of staff had begun to help stem shortages across the region.
La Trobe University has committed to providing more placesin the city should an expanded rural medical school be built in Shepparton, but Mr Sharp said it would be a long-term solution to staffing woes.
He said in nursing and midwifery alone, GV Health was short 135 staff and 40 allied health professionals, and it was projected to worsen over the coming years.
GV Health was working to support current employees, Mr Sharp said.
“We've got a range of strategies that we're implementing at the moment to support our existing staff, certain things to try and take care of their wellbeing,” he said.
“We know all healthcare workers have had a particularly tough time in the last couple of years in relation to the pandemic.
“Many of our staff are working double shifts, extra extra shifts, and we’ve been looking at practical things like providing the meals and other things to support them in that respect.”
GV Health has virtually attended several job conferences overseas in the past few months at Dublin and London, and Mr Sharp said 25 people were on a shortlist to investigate how to transfer their registrations across and to support relocation.
“There's no silver bullet to solve this workforce challenge,” he said.
Mr Sharp said GV Health’s turnover was seven per cent, up from the normal rate of about five per cent.
“Our workers are doing a great job in terms of the demand that the whole health system is experiencing right across Victoria at the moment.”
He said GV Health would be ready should another COVID-19 variant spring up, despite the shortage of workers.
“Fortunately — and unfortunately, I suppose — we've got a really trusted method to be able to close temporarily other parts of our services, redeploy people to where there are critical needs in the short term.”
https://www.sheppnews.com.au/news/gv-health-working-to-boost-staff-numbers/
