Mr Walsh says a key part of the plan to fix the health crisis is a new $325 million Future Health Workforce Plan to “recruit, up-skill, better manage and support the staff we need to return confidence to our health system”.
He says in total, the plan will deliver an additional 18,000 new and unskilled nurses and midwives across the public and private sectors — “and that’s on top of the 22,000 promised by the Andrews Labor Government”.
Furthermore, he says this plan will overhaul the way in which healthcare staff are mentored and developed by utilising existing clinical skill and experience.
Mr Walsh says the Liberals and Nationals’ $325 million Future Health Workforce Plan, will deliver 25,000 scholarships of $16,500 to fully offset the upfront HECS debts of nursing and midwifery students (including 20,000 for public health positions and 5000 for the private health sector).
He said 10,000 scholarships would be made available for existing nurses and midwives to upgrade their skills with postgraduate and specialist training, along with the immediate recruitment of 5000 new nurses and midwives.
“In addition, we will immediately establish a Victorian Ministerial Health Workforce Council, which will be tasked with conducting a statewide public and private sector workforce and skills audit to inform the mix of newly funded positions,” Mr Walsh said.
He said the coalition would develop a robust and flexible surge workforce model to assist in managing future emergency events and pandemics.
“We will develop ongoing health workforce recruitment campaigns, staff retention measures and incentives in consultation with all stakeholders to mitigate future attrition,” he said.
“We will also supporting the creation of a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) specifically focused on urgently addressing Victorian rural and regional health workforce shortages.”
He has also pledged to work with the Health Workforce Accommodation Taskforce to examine appropriate accommodation options, to not only attract health workers to rural and regional Victoria, but to also help retain existing workers.
“Nurses, midwives and other vital healthcare staff are the glue that holds our health system together,” Mr Walsh said.
“By better supporting them we will deliver better health outcomes for all Victorians.
“Not only will we deliver at least 20 new and upgraded hospitals across Victoria but we will put the best trained and supported healthcare staff in them.
“Only the Liberals and Nationals have real solutions to fix the health crisis without new taxes or more debt.”
