For some regional areas in South Australia, attracting and retaining health workers can be difficult. Sometimes councils will step in for the benefit of their community, but it can be overwhelming on where to start and what approach to take.

The Regional Health Workforce Toolkit aims to help the local government sector attract health workers in regional South Australia.

The toolkit shows:

• where councils can directly act, like in infrastructure projects
• how councils can help by creating and maintaining support networks
• what advocacy options are available for better funding.

In developing the Regional Health Workforce Toolkit, we have considered other successful models and methods, talked to regions that are doing it well, and tested the draft toolkit with councils in regional SA.

Download a copy of Regional Health Workforce Toolkit

How do I use the toolkit?

The toolkit is structured around six steps:

1. Plan what needs to be done
2. Prepare the groundwork
3. Promote your offer
4. Settle new residents
5. Support on an ongoing basis
6. Advocate for solutions that can’t be delivered locally

Successfully attracting and keeping skilled workers needs support from the whole community. That includes residents, employers, real estate agents, childcare providers and schools.

This toolkit has been developed as a community resource as well as a guide for councils.

The challenge facing our regions

Local doctors are the entry point to the health system. Specialists, allied health and hospital visits often rely on referrals, health care plans and ongoing care provided by a GP.

Many small communities struggle to retain or attract a resident GP, especially when existing GPs retire or move back to the city.

As GPs leave, there is even more work for those who remain – or in the worst case, no GP at all.

Some towns resort to locums, but they are expensive and don’t know patient histories as closely as local GPs.

There are many factors affecting regional health in South Australia:

• towns without doctors
• hospitals without nurses
• burnt out General Practitioners with no replacements
• understaffed aged care facilities
• poor access to allied health
• limited career prospects
• cultural barriers.

When combined with distance to specialist services, the cost of transport and risk factors, it is not surprising life expectancy in the country is lower than the city.

What stops regional communities from attracting more doctors?

There are several barriers which prevent regional areas from attracting doctors, and the situation is getting worse.

Some of the barriers include:

• lack of suitable accommodation
• lack of professional support
• lack of childcare
• no backup (no time off)
• limited access to training and professional development
• lower earning capacity
• poor career prospects
• no jobs for partners
• lack of community support for migrants
• growing competition among a smaller pool of GPs.

Health care is everyone’s business

Current labour shortages, the housing crisis, stretched health care budgets and regional population shifts have put even more pressure on the health system.

The ability to attract health workers – which was already strained – is reaching breaking point.

When we consider the barriers to relocate to smaller communities against the opportunities in large cities, the question becomes: ‘what’s in it for them’?

Those who live in regional South Australia know the benefits, but it can be a big leap for someone who has only ever lived in the city to move to the country, especially if they have no local connections.

We hear stories of doctors resettling in rural communities in sub-standard housing. Their partners can’t get jobs, the doctor can’t get time off because there’s no backup, and the community makes an initial effort but then it’s not their problem.

If we are going to be successful in attracting and retaining health workers – whether it’s doctors, nurses, aged care workers or allied health professionals – we need to make it an easy choice, and we need to support these essential newcomers.

A growing aged care sector

Our health sector is not just about doctors. South Australia’s ageing population has created a significant care industry, including:

• in-home support
• retirement and independent living
• residential care.

People want to age in place. This will mean more aged care services in our towns, and more doctors, nurses, allied health and care workers.

These care workers need accommodation, childcare, schools, social connection, shopping facilities and other services.

An increase in care workers will grow our regional populations, but only if we can provide the social infrastructure new residents need.

Demand on pharmacists

Like other health professionals, the pharmacy sector has difficulty attracting qualified workers to rural communities.

Pharmacy chains and franchises are generally not managed by the owner, which means the pharmacist is working long hours in someone else’s business.

Who wants that when they can have a well-paid 9-5 city job close to their friends?

Steps councils can take

Councils can take several steps to help address health workforce shortages.

• Leverage your local knowledge – consider the unique features and advantages of your district.
• Be competitive – make an offer that can stand out.
• Create regional partnerships – consider the relationships needed and focus on new resident barriers, even if the solution is outside your council area.

Steps in the Regional Health Workforce Toolkit

The Regional Health Workforce Toolkit was developed by Dr Kristine Peters in collaboration with the LGA and its South Australian Regional Organisation of Councils Committee (SAROC). It is based on the LGA Literature Review authored by Dr Laura Hodgson.