Hearings 10 (Workforce 2): Commencing 14 October 2024, Sydney

Between 22 July and 9 August 2024, the Inquiry held a public hearing concerning issues related to the health workforce in NSW (and in particular those issues identified in Terms of Reference F and G). This hearing focused on the identification of:

the current state and composition of the health workforce in NSW, in particular, medical staff, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (Health Workforce);
the current approaches to the training, recruitment and engagement of the Health Workforce within the public health system in NSW; and
current and future issues and challenges relating to the training, recruitment, engagement and retention of a sustainable Health Workforce to meet the current and future health needs of the population in NSW.

During those hearings (and across the range of other hearings held by the Special Commission), several recurrent themes and issues have emerged in the evidence. A detailed summary of these themes and issues are set out in the October Workforce Hearing Issues Paper (PDF) 373 KB .

As identified in the July Workforce Hearing Issue Paper (PDF) 222 KB , the Inquiry will hold hearings between 14 October and 18 October 2024, which will focus on the identification and consideration of potential responses and solutions to the circumstances, issues and challenges identified during the first stage of the hearings. The issues and themes to be considered in the upcoming hearings include (but are not limited to):

Measures that may be implemented to:
- Address the maldistribution of the Health Workforce in NSW between metropolitan and rural, remote and regional locations.
- Address the increasing need to rely on temporary staffing arrangements.
- Support the recruitment and retention of a Health Workforce sufficient to meet the healthcare service demands of NSW.
- Attract and retain doctors and allied health professionals to work in NSW Health facilities and in in-demand service areas.
- Attract more medical graduates to pursue general practice and rural generalist training pathways.
- Attract more doctors to purse general medical positions in the acute care setting.
- Address non-financial factors that impact retention and recruitment in NSW.
- Address challenges in recruiting and retaining a sustainable supply of specialist health practitioners within NSW Health, including accreditation standards, availability of training positions and supervision capacity.
- Enhance and strengthen the mechanisms by which clinicians engage with management.
- Promote the wellbeing of the Health Workforce to address the prevalence of burnout.
Reforms and other initiatives that may address the outdated nature of existing industrial awards instruments and legislation applicable to the Health Workforce in NSW.
The role of international medical graduates in establishing and maintaining a sustainable Health Workforce.
The role of virtual and multidisciplinary models of care, particularly in rural, regional and remote locations.
Measures that may be available to improve the collation and sharing of workforce data between NSW Health and other stakeholders.

A more detailed summary of the issues that the Inquiry intends to examine in those hearings is set out in the October Workforce Hearing Issues Paper (PDF) 373 KB .

Appearances

Inquiry

Ed Muston SC
Ross Glover

NSW Health

Richard Cheney SC
Hilbert Chiu SC

Witness List

Monday 14 October 2024

Appearing concurrently
- Professor Kathleen Baird
  Head of Nursing, University of Technology Sydney
- Mr Richard Griffiths
  Executive Director Workforce Planning and Talent Development, NSW Ministry of Health
- Mr Michael Whaites
  Assistant General Secretary, NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association
- Ms Jacqui Cross PSM
  NSW Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer, NSW Health
- Ms Jacqueline Dominish OAM
  Director, Health Professionals Workforce, NSW Ministry of Health

Appearing concurrently
- Professor Toby Newton-John
  Head of Allied Health, University of Technology Sydney
- Professor Debra Anderson
  Dean, University of Technology Sydney
- Mr Richard Griffiths
  Executive Director Workforce Planning and Talent Development, NSW Ministry of Health
- Ms Jacqueline Dominish OAM
  Director, Health Professionals Workforce, NSW Ministry of Health

Tuesday 15 October 2024

Dr Tom Morrison
Neurosurgery Registrar, St Vincent’s Hospital
Appearing concurrently
- Dr Matthew Ingram
  Staff Specialist Emergency Physician, Wyong Hospital
- Dr Tom Morrison
  Neurosurgery Registrar, St Vincent’s Hospital
- Mr Phil Minns
  Deputy Secretary – People, Culture and Governance, NSW Ministry of Health

Wednesday 16 October 2024

Appearing concurrently
- Mr Jerry Yik
  Head of Policy and Advocacy, Advanced Pharmacy Australia
- Dr Jonathan Penm
  NSW Branch Vice Chair, Advanced Pharmacy Australia
Appearing concurrently
- Dr Michael Bonning
  General Practitioner, Balmain Village Health Medical Practice
- Mr Luke Sloane
  Deputy Secretary, Rural Regional Health, Ministry of Health
- Dr Rachel Christmas
  President, Rural Doctors’ Association NSW
- Dr Rebekah Hoffman
  Chair, NSW & ACT Faculty, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
- Ms Georgina Van de Water
  CEO, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Thursday 17 October 2024

Appearing concurrently
- Mr Gerard Hayes AM
  NSW State Secretary, Health Services Union
- Ms Shaye Candish
  General Secretary, NSW Nurses & Midwives’ Association
- Ms Melissa Collins
  Acting Executive Director, Workplace Relations, NSW Ministry of Health
- Ms Dominique Egan
  Director of Workplace Relations, In-House Counsel and Deputy CEO
  Australian Medical Association NSW
- Mr Andrew Holland
  Executive Director, Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation
- Mr Phil Minns
  Deputy Secretary - People, Culture and Governance, NSW Ministry of Health

Friday 18 October 2024

Appearing concurrently
- Dr Michelle McRae
  Senior Director of Training, Australasian College of Dermatologists
- Dr Natalie Rainger
  Visiting Medical Officer, Otolaryngologist; Head and Neck Surgeon (ENT), Orange NSW; Training Supervisor, Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
Appearing concurrently
- Associate Professor Kerin Fielding
  President, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
- Professor Boon Lim
  Vice-President, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Dr Frances Page
  Elected member (Safety and Quality Officer)/Co-Deputy Chair, NSW Regional Committee, ANZCA; Supervisor of Training for Anaesthetics, Gosford Hospital
- Ms Libby Newton
  Manager Education Policy, Research and Evaluation, Education, Learning and Assessment, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- Professor Inam Haq
  Executive General Manager, Education, Learning and Assessment, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- Associate Professor Kudzai Kanhutu
  College Dean, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- Dr Matthew Ingram
  Staff Specialist Emergency Physician, Wyong Hospital, Australasian College of Emergency Medicine
- Dr Michelle McRae
  Senior Director of Training for the Australasian College of Dermatologists
- Dr Josephine Burnand
  Acting Medical Director, Health Education and Training Institute
- Dr Justine Harris
  Chief Medical Workforce Advisor, NSW Ministry of Health