In a wide ranging report looking at the carer needs across Australia, PwC Australia published Reimagine Care Workforce Solutions in October 2022.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Kerryn Dillon, Director Ageing and Reablement and Health Workforce at PwC Australia about the community care sectors of aged care, disability care and childcare the report covers.
These segments cover a number of policy portfolios – education, social services, housing, employment and health. Kerryn references some of the demands on community care workers:
- 22% of the 5.7 million aged over 60 in Australia access aged care services
- 10% of the 1 in 6 people living with a disability access specialised disability services through the NDIS
- 1.3 million of the 1.6 million children in Australia aged under 5 access child care services
Kerryn states there is a significant overlap in the duties performed across the segments and the demand will continue to grow. There are 4 key challenges that she talks about
- Demand increasing due to population growth, the ageing population, growth of NDIS
- Ageing workforce across domains such as nursing and aged care, further compounded by the same rate not entering the workforce
- Limited training for the existing workforce and focus on compliance rather than best practice
- Poor value proposition making it difficult to attract new workers
Frances McMurtrie, Senior Management from Strategy&, a division of PwC Australia speaks about the work Strategy& has done in the report on applying a demand and supply model to the care workforce shortage issues.
Frances talks about the factors and levers that determine the supply of workers, especially the key factor of motivation in performing a care worker role. The analysis includes the care worker pipeline or funnel that approximates (using ABS, Aged Care Workforce Census and NDIS National Workforce Plans) that of the 13 million Australian making up the total labour force, there are less than 1 million who are interested, trained and delivering care roles.
In researching the drop off from a pool of 13 million to 1 million, most investment is going into the “narrow-end” for training and recruitment. Research has shown there is a lack of investment in the motivation supply factor, in closer proximity to the total labour force of 13 million (and even at the top of the funnel where the working age population is at 16 million).
As Frances points out, current communication strategies on attracting care workers are focusing on the existing value proposition of being a care worker – primarily on altruism.
Reimagining care workforce solutions forms PwC Australia and Strategy&’s assessment on fiscal policy, the share economy, the role of telecare or virtual care and using robotics.
Both Kerryn and Frances conclude with earmarking technology being a significant enabler of the care worker sector and addressing some of the challenges.
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Victorian social prescribing program underway
n Part 2 of the Models of Care on Social Prescribing, Australian Health Journal spoke to 4 people involved in the Connect Local program under the Connecting Communities to Care 4 year program. The free program for over 65’s promotes wellbeing through social connection and is underway in the Glen Eira community in Melbourne.
– Deidre McGill, Executive General Manager, At Home Support, Bolton Clarke
– Ann Van Leerdam, Connect Local Community Connector, Bolton Clarke
– Dr Rajna Ogrin, Senior Research Fellow, Bolton Clarke Research Institute, Bolton Clarke - Dr Daniel Fineberg, Deputy Director General Medicine, Alfred Hospital, Victoria -
The Case for Embedded Pharmacy in Residential Aged Care
Embedded pharmacy in residential aged care has been successful in South Australia at the Tanunda Lutheran Home in the Barossa Valley. Julian Soriano talks about his pharmacy role in medication management and medication safety to deliver the best clinical care for residents.
In this segment, Julian talks about the traditional pharmacy model serving residential aged care and the limitations of the imprest process for dispensing medication. Soon into the project he saw the collaboration required with GPs and onsite nurses in dispensing medication for residents in end-of-life or palliative care. Julian sees the imprest process unable to support end-of-life residents, even being able to check the availability of medication.
But what most may not be aware of, is his rapid growth since starting the business in 2013 having just been in health care a few years earlier. Being part of a 2nd generation health care family, Shawn learnt from his father on site and at trade show visits overseas. Prior to HPA, he spent 2 years working in fit-outs of operating theatres, neo-natal and general population ICU, throughout being more fascinated with what he saw. -
Reflecting on a pivotal year for pharmacy
Dr. Kate Wang, a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy at RMIT University and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of Western Australia, has over a decade of experience in both hospital and community pharmacy settings.
Dr Wang spoke to Australian Health Journal on some of the key topics in 2024 that have been pivotal as a pharmacist, academic and researcher for the pharmacy profession.
