Share your experience in the review of the NHRA Addendum 2020-2025!

Consultation has kicked off for the Mid-term review of the National Health Reform Agreement Addendum 2020-2025.

We will be holding two member-only virtual roundtables to inform our submission. We invite members to bring their experiences to the discussion focusing on where the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments need to work in partnership with shared intention. Registration is essential.

We have identified two areas where we seek particular input, but welcome you raising any feedback on what is needed for a health funding, planning and governance architecture that is fit-for-purpose.

If you are unable to join me at these times, please contact me directly and we can arrange a time to talk.

Focus: How should the National Health Reform Agreement progress health workforce reform?

• A strong and sustainable health workforce is critical for any system reform. There is global recognition that intersectoral governance is needed to strengthen the health and workforce, and this will require political leadership across whole-of-government and whole-of-society (ref).
• There is limited attention on the workforce under the current Addendum, although the Commonwealth is identified as responsible for functions transferred from Health Workforce Australia (s13.h).
• Strategies being progressed are typically profession-specific or sector-specific, outside any coherent national, whole-of-workforce policy. Beyond health, coherence is needed across education, employment, migration, foreign affairs and trade, housing, infrastructure, and more.
• Innovative workforce policy is often driven by these silos. This has many unintended consequences, including ‘turf wars’ being played out in the media, rather than within a policy framework for implementation, evaluation and measurement that assures safety and quality, as well as informing scalability.