Plan
Outcome
A plan to address the gaps and ensure all stakeholders are engaged to deliver it.
Why it is important
Good planning involves making the most impact with the time and resources you have available.
Start by identifying exactly what you want to achieve and devising a plan. Develop your plan with health and community stakeholders and make it clear where the focus should be, how much time and effort you need to invest and keep all parties accountable.
Get the best information you can in the available time and then plan your program around realistic timeframes.
If you are seeking doctors on three-year contracts, tailor your plan to suit. Be specific.
Steps you can take
- Ask yourself: what health services do we need? Be realistic about what’s possible. Write aims.
- Gap analysis: what is stopping health workers from relocating to our area? Do your research, don’t assume.
- Who is responsible for addressing the barriers? Think laterally, the traditional solutions are not necessarily the best ones.
- Co-create an action plan with your business, government and community partners – include the ‘movers and shakers’, they are the ones who will keep the passion going. Leverage the benefits of solving other people’s problems.
- Ask yourself: who is driving this? Make sure you address governance, deadlines and reporting – including what happens if someone doesn’t deliver on agreed key actions.
- Note structural issues you cannot solve locally and manage up. Engage stakeholders in the space who have the expertise.
Tips
- You can’t do it all. Identify the core tasks with the biggest impact and focus on these.
- Your first plan does not have to get you all the way there. Set realistic goals and revise your plan as you reach them.
- Use data to make evidence-based decisions. This will give you a baseline against which you can measure progress.
- If no data is being collected, take a lead role in collating evidence to build a strong case. Or engage someone to do this for you.