PCD Strategy Evaluation 2007.pdf - NT Health Digital Library ...
PCD Strategy Evaluation 2007.pdf - NT Health Digital Library ... PCD Strategy Evaluation 2007.pdf - NT Health Digital Library ...
6.5 Workforce orientation and trainingA competent workforce is the key to delivering high quality chronic disease prevention andmanagement. Ensuring access to orientation and ongoing education is a key objective in thePCDS to ensure the workforce is clear about what is required with regards to chronic diseaseprevention and management. While most organisations identified that they had an orientationprogram, stakeholder interviews revealed there were a number of barriers to ensuring thatremote area staff received orientation.NTDH&CS has an orientation program. However the high level of staff turnover means that notall staff receive orientation to the systems used in clinics, nor ongoing training to improve theircapacity to deliver chronic disease prevention strategies, early detection screening, or clinicalmanagement of chronic disease. Ensuring the NTDH&CS orientation and chronic diseaseprograms are delivered regularly is essential to ensuring that a critical mass of practitioners aretrained in a consistent way.All services identified a strategy for ensuring that their workforce has access to training programsthat develop their skills sufficiently to deliver chronic disease prevention and management. Giventhe high staff turnover in the Northern Territory there is a need for ongoing training and specifictopics associated with chronic disease care.The Pathways to Professional Practice Program is based on a sound philosophy and provides agood model for replication in other Australian states as it has been proven to increase retention.Both government and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services identified it as a usefultraining program. The issue these organisations however raised was that they were not alwaysnotified when training programs are offered. Better notification of when training programs arebeing conducted will assist with improving the capacity of these services, and those in the nongovernmentsector, to deliver chronic disease care.The evaluation revealed that there are some staff within the NTDH&CS who have problems inaccessing training programs due to the delivery methods i.e. week long course with inconsistentdelivery frequency. Both urban and remote service providers reported that they found it difficultto attend courses due to lack of relief staff. Different and innovative delivery options should beexplored for these staff to ensure everyone has access to these important training programs.The use of tele-health to facilitate this process has been flagged as something NTDH&CS willpursue in its Building Healthy Communities policy. This needs to be considered to ensure that allChapter 6: Discussion – Evaluation of the NT Preventable Chronic Disease Strategy 2007 98
emote staff can access training and a modular approach to training is used for urban services forwhich the one-week block program is not suitable.Stakeholder interviews revealed their staff require more information than is currently delivered inthe chronic disease module about renal disease, cardiac disease, and mental health.Consideration should therefore be given to enhancing the chronic disease module, or developinga second module, to provide more training about the management of these complex conditions.The renal team reported difficulty in accessing general practitioners for training about renal careand the need for early referral to specialists. Early referral is essential to delay the onset of renalfailure through intensive patient management. Linking in with general practice trainingprograms will be essential to ensure information and skills development of GPs, will be included.6.6 Indigenous workforceThe employment of Indigenous Territorians is critical to the success of the implementation of anyeducational initiatives in the NTPCDS. Aboriginal people make up approximately 30 per cent ofthe NT population but less that 6 per cent of the public sector workforce. The NTPCDS identifiedthe need for improved educational and employment opportunities to both prevent chronic diseaseand to create a workforce to address chronic disease. Opportunities to increase Aboriginalemployment were identified during a review and programs, such as Healthy for Life and theestablishment of the PHCAP zones, have increased opportunities for Indigenous employment.A major challenge facing the NTDH&CS has been the declining Aboriginal Health Workerworkforce in recent years. In the period between 1997 and 2004 there was a net decline in thenumber of registered health workers working in PHC teams in Central Australia from 100 in 1997to 60 in 2004. The decline has not so great in the Top End with 144 workers employed in 2000dropping to 130 in 2004. This is compromising the NT DH&CS capacity to deliver chronic diseasecare and prevention and health promotion programs. This issue is well known to the NorthernTerritory Government and strategies have been developed to improve training for health workers.Lack of an effective training program is not the only reason for the declining health workerworkforce numbers. The lack of clarity concerning the role for Aboriginal health workers in theprimary health care setting is also contributing to the marginalisation of the health workerworkforce. Clarifying their roles in acute and chronic care will help to better target recruitmentand retention strategies.Chapter 6: Discussion – Evaluation of the NT Preventable Chronic Disease Strategy 2007 99
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- Page 149 and 150: References1. Dunham, H., Ministeria
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emote staff can access training and a modular approach to training is used for urban services forwhich the one-week block program is not suitable.Stakeholder interviews revealed their staff require more information than is currently delivered inthe chronic disease module about renal disease, cardiac disease, and mental health.Consideration should therefore be given to enhancing the chronic disease module, or developinga second module, to provide more training about the management of these complex conditions.The renal team reported difficulty in accessing general practitioners for training about renal careand the need for early referral to specialists. Early referral is essential to delay the onset of renalfailure through intensive patient management. Linking in with general practice trainingprograms will be essential to ensure information and skills development of GPs, will be included.6.6 Indigenous workforceThe employment of Indigenous Territorians is critical to the success of the implementation of anyeducational initiatives in the <strong>NT</strong><strong>PCD</strong>S. Aboriginal people make up approximately 30 per cent ofthe <strong>NT</strong> population but less that 6 per cent of the public sector workforce. The <strong>NT</strong><strong>PCD</strong>S identifiedthe need for improved educational and employment opportunities to both prevent chronic diseaseand to create a workforce to address chronic disease. Opportunities to increase Aboriginalemployment were identified during a review and programs, such as <strong>Health</strong>y for Life and theestablishment of the PHCAP zones, have increased opportunities for Indigenous employment.A major challenge facing the <strong>NT</strong>DH&CS has been the declining Aboriginal <strong>Health</strong> Workerworkforce in recent years. In the period between 1997 and 2004 there was a net decline in thenumber of registered health workers working in PHC teams in Central Australia from 100 in 1997to 60 in 2004. The decline has not so great in the Top End with 144 workers employed in 2000dropping to 130 in 2004. This is compromising the <strong>NT</strong> DH&CS capacity to deliver chronic diseasecare and prevention and health promotion programs. This issue is well known to the NorthernTerritory Government and strategies have been developed to improve training for health workers.Lack of an effective training program is not the only reason for the declining health workerworkforce numbers. The lack of clarity concerning the role for Aboriginal health workers in theprimary health care setting is also contributing to the marginalisation of the health workerworkforce. Clarifying their roles in acute and chronic care will help to better target recruitmentand retention strategies.Chapter 6: Discussion – <strong>Evaluation</strong> of the <strong>NT</strong> Preventable Chronic Disease <strong>Strategy</strong> 2007 99
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