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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Cardinal Health brings device reprocessing plant to Australia
Cardinal Health is global medical products manufacturer and leading provider of single-use device reprocessing services in the U.S. In Australia and New Zealand, as one of the largest suppliers of medical devices, announced on 23 May 2024 that it will be opening a single-use medical device reprocessing facility in Australia – its first reprocessing facility outside the United States.
On 18 March 2025 at the Health Innovation Living Lab at the John Hunter Hospital, a further announcement was made, on the chosen single-use medical device remanufacturing facility in Beresfield, Newcastle, set to commence operation late 2025, supported by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
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New horizons in unified oral health care
The Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA) is the peak professional association representing Oral Health Practitioners (dental hygienists, dental therapists and oral health therapists) to support and promote the continued growth and development of oral health across Australia.
In October 2025, OHAA held its inaugural Congress as a new association entity to celebrate and advance the shared goals of the oral health workforce and community. This year’s Congress was held to foster learning, collaboration, and growth in the field of oral health.
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Chiropractors commence Spinal Health Month with research in mental health
A new Australian-first clinical research study has found promising results for reducing the mental health impacts of chronic musculoskeletal pain by combining online psychological therapies with routine physical care. The research, funded by the Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA) and conducted through CQUniversity and Macquarie University’s MindSpot programme, highlights the strong connection between chronic pain and mental wellbeing.
