HEALTH and aged care operators and their employees are feeling the weight of on-going staff shortages across the sector.
Federal Member for Nicholls, Sam Birrell MP, said short term assistance is needed to encourage staff, especially registered nurses, to take up jobs in the regions.
“Whether there is some sort of relocation incentive or wage subsidy, we have to do something to ease the pressure on operators and current staff,” Mr Birrell said.
“We also need a longer-term plan to grow our own workforce by training people locally.”
Promising $19M of a $26M dollar project to establish the Goulburn Valley Clinical Health School, The Nationals in conjunction with GV Health and LA Trobe University had a plan to address the critical staff shortages.
The proposed clinic was to be a state-of-the-art facility to train nurses, midwives and allied health workers in Shepparton and would have prepared students for their transition into clinical practice.
The clinic would have also addressed the medium and long-term workforce needs of the region.
With the coalition succumbing to a Labor win in the last election, however, the Albanese Government has yet to find alternative funding for the Clinical Health School, Mr Birrell said, but added,
“GV Health and La Trobe University are still committed to the Clinical Health School and together we continue to lobby the Albanese Government to fund it as a medium to long term solution to the workforce challenges in the region.”
