The Rural Health Workforce Strategy launched today is driving the continued expansion of the State's regional health workforce and supporting our hardworking health professionals to deliver essential healthcare services to rural and regional South Australians.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said the Marshall Liberal Government's $20 million Rural Health Workforce Strategy is focussed on delivering a stronger and more sustainable rural health workforce in South Australia now and into the future.
"South Australia, like all other jurisdictions, faces significant rural health workforce challenges in recruiting, training and retaining health professionals," Minister Wade said.
"From our first day in office, the Marshall Government has been committed to addressing these challenges and growing the health workforce needed to deliver high quality healthcare in rural and remote communities.
"The Marshall Government's $20 million investment under the strategy is delivering significant achievements and successful improvements to the rural health workforce, including launching six specialised workforce plans which together provide South Australia with an integrated plan for a sustainable rural health workforce.
"This investment has helped drive substantial increases in rural medical training positions in recent years, tripling from five full-time rural interns in 2019 to 19 this year. Fifty metropolitan interns are completing a rural GP rotation, which has more than doubled since 2020. Additionally, 17 rural GP registrars are completing their advanced skills training this year, up from five in 2020, and 13 in 2021.
"While the $20 million allocated in our first budget has been allocated to a broad range of important initiatives, additional funding will be invested in the years ahead to continue this vital work.
"This is only one of a number of ways the Marshall Government is supporting the health needs of our rural communities. Just last week the Marshall Government entered a landmark agreement with rural GPs, investing an estimated $188 million over two years to help attract GPs to regional South Australia. This includes a sign-up bonus of up to $50,000 for a doctor to work in the more remote areas of the state.
"These success stories are just the beginning. Priorities outlined in the RHWS focus on building a skilled rural health workforce, providing new and sustainable workforce models for rural healthcare settings, and delivering more connected and collaborative rural health services, which will further support the delivery of better patient care.
"We are doing everything we can to ensure the highest quality health care is available to all South Australians, no matter where they live.
"We are proud to deliver the Rural Health Workforce Strategy for South Australia, and I would like to thank the RHWS Steering Committee, stakeholders, clinicians, staff and the community who have contributed to this landmark strategy in helping to boost our regional health workforce."
Rural Support Service Chief Clinical Advisor and Chair of the Rural Health Workforce Strategy Steering Committee, Dr Hendrika Meyer, said the Steering Committee has representation from regional local health networks, universities, peak bodies, medical colleges, training and workforce providers and the National Rural Health Commissioner.
"Since 2018, the Steering Committee has worked closely with health professionals and rural communities across South Australia to better understand the challenges and opportunities in providing health services in a rural setting," Dr Meyer said.
"This collaboration and engagement ensured our plans and projects have been informed by the lived experiences of the rural workforce we seek to support and the communities we service."
"With more than 500,000 South Australians living in rural areas across the state, it is clear that the State Government's Rural Health Workforce Strategy will help to ensure our country health services are sustainable and meet the changing health needs of rural South Australians."
As part of the Rural Health Workforce Strategy, six South Australia Rural Health Workforce Plans have been developed to date:
- SA Rural Medical Workforce Plan 2019-24
- SA Rural SA Ambulance Service Workforce Plan 2020-25
- SA Rural Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Plan 2021-26
- SA Rural Allied and Scientific Health Workforce Plan 2021-26
- SA Rural Aboriginal Health Workforce Plan 2021-26
- SA Rural Oral Health Workforce Plan 2021-26
To access the Rural Health Workforce Strategy and for more information, visit the Rural Health Workforce Strategy website
