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Service and Workforce Planning

Director: Kim Sykes
Ph: (03) 9096 7716
Fax: (03) 9096 9213
Email: kim.sykes@dhs.vic.gov.au

page content: Planning and Analysis | Workforce Strategy and Regulation | Workforce Innovation | Medical Workforce

The Service & Workforce Planning Branch in the Portfolio Services & Strategic Projects Division provides a focus and resource for service and workforce planning, policy development and coordination.

The key objectives of the Branch are to provide an integrated approach to the Department's strategic policy and planning capability across all areas of human services, and its intersection with national initiatives.

The Branch's functions include investigation and analysis of workforce issues related to education and training, recruitment, retention, skills maintenance and distribution. This includes policy and program development to address existing and forecast workforce shortages, as well as a range of work focussed on improving the quality and safety of staff providing human services and managing the legislative and regulatory framework governing these professionals.

The Branch is also responsible for broader workforce strategy development and cross-DHS co-ordination on workforce issues, and therefore provides advice and expertise to a wide range of program areas across the Department.

Planning and Analysis

• Workforce planning - supply and demand studies for professions of interest to the Department, labour force profiles, analysis to support workforce policies.
• Forecasting and analysis - the provision of a forecasting and quantitative analysis capability to the Department to assist policy development and service planning.
• Data products and spatial analysis - management of internal and external data sources, provision of training, tools (such as SMAP), and publications, tailored spatial analysis for internal clients.

Workforce Strategy and Regulation

The Section's work aims to help the Department understand and respond strategically to workforce issues across human services over the short, medium and long term.

This includes:

• Maintaining an effective and flexible regulatory scheme for health practitioners;
• Strategically planning future directions for workforce strategy, workforce development and workforce investment at state and national level;
• Developing a consolidated, cross DHS view on future workforce priorities, improving information sharing and generating debate regarding current and emerging workforce issues at a state and national level;
• Ensuring that the state supports appropriate capacity and quality in its clinical training for students in health disciplines;
• Improving the Department's education and workforce linkages to achieve better alignment between training providers and health service requirements.

Workforce Innovation

The Workforce Innovation Section aims to develop and implement startegies to promote the recruitment, retention, and equitable distribution of the allied health workforce in Victoria. In addition, the development and implementation of innovative approaches, such as role redesign, to address the workforce issues facing the health and community services sector as a whole, is a key component of Section's work.

It does this by:

• Developing strategies and policies to guide government in improving the recruitment, retention and distribution of the allied health workforce workforce;
• Fostering and maintaining effective liaison with allied health professional associations, agencies, unions and other key stakeholders on the supply, distribution and mix of allied health practitioners in Victoria; and
• Providing funding to research, develop and implement novel approaches to improve workforce recruitment, retention, training and distribution.

Medical Workforce

The Medical Workforce Section aims to promote the recruitment, retention, training and equitable distribution of the medical workforce in Victoria.

It does this by working with stakeholders to:

• Develop strategies and policies to guide government in improving the recruitment, retention, training and distribution of the medical workforce.
• Foster and implement arrangements for improved collaboration between agencies and professions on issues relating to medical workforce recruitment, retention, training and distribution; and
• Establish programs to research, develop and implement innovative approaches to improve medical workforce recruitment, retention, training and distribution.

The Medical Workforce Section focuses on areas such as, medical workforce strategy, prevocational and vocational education, recruitment and assessment of international medical graduates and retention. It contributes to programs and policy initiatives that aim to improve the sustainability of the medical workforce.