Optimising Your Allied Health Workforce

Regional-level workforce planning and capacity-building in times of health workforce scarcity

Organisations responsible for allied health service provision and health workforce resource allocation are increasingly feeling the pressure to do more with less due to: 

• Shortages of skilled professionals, exacerbated in rural, regional and under-served areas leading to extensive service gaps; 
• Staff recruitment and retention issues, caused by stress, burnout and fatigue, and loss of faith in organisational supports; 
• Difficulties innovating and adapting to new ways of working, like telehealth, expansion of delegated workforces, new roles and evolving professional scopes of practice, despite success stories from other regions and organisations; and 
• Challenges building and managing the interdisciplinary healthcare teams required to deliver more person-centred care. 

Sound familiar? You are not alone. 

In this free 1 hour webinar, facilitated by Dr Susan Nancarrow (CEO and founder of AHP Workforce and an allied health researcher and consultant with more than 20 years' allied health workforce planning, strategy and capacity-building experience), you will: 

• Explore the employee lifecycle – with a focus on essential aspects to target to support ongoing workforce sustainability at the individual level; 
• Consider the ‘new’ fundamentals of Workforce Planning, in an age of evolving scopes of practice and ways of working, and rapid changes to technology; 
• Learn the pros and cons of different approaches to Workforce Planning, to select the right path for your organisation; and 
• Rethink the question, in an age of resource scarcity, of how to do more with the resources you have available. 

You will leave this session with a fillable action plan and the knowledge to empower you to identify the areas of most need and largest gains for your organisation and your community. 

Who will get the most out of this webinar? 

This webinar has been designed to support workforce planning staff, and their managers, in large organisations responsible for health workforce planning, capacity-building and resource allocation at regional levels. However, anyone involved in allied health workforce planning will find value in the session, getting to the heart of how to do more with less in an age of workforce scarcity.

Key webinar takeaways include: 

• Explore the employee lifecycle – with a focus on essential aspects to target to support ongoing workforce sustainability at the individual level; 
• Consider the ‘new’ fundamentals of Workforce Planning, in an age of evolving scopes of practice and ways of working, and rapid changes to technology; 
• Learn the pros and cons of different approaches to Workforce Planning and needs analysis, to select the right path for your organisation; 
• Rethink the question, in an age of resource scarcity, of how to do more with the resources you have available; and 
• Leave this session with a fillable action plan and the knowledge to empower you to identify the areas of most need and largest gains for your organisation and your community.

This webinar will include a presentation with Q&A and discussion.

Meet Your Webinar Presenters:

Professor Susan Nancarrow, CEO HealthWork International & The Allied Health Academy

Susan is an allied health professional with more twenty-five years international health services research, expertise and analysis, with a particular interest in the health workforce, models of health service organisation and delivery, and the sociology of the professions. Her particular area of interest and expertise is health workforce flexibility and interdisciplinarity. She and Alan Borthwick recently published a historic and sociological analysis of the allied health workforce “The Allied Health Professions: A Sociological Perspective” Policy Press 2021.  

Joan Leo, Learning Product Manager, The Allied Health Academy

Joan is an allied health professional and learning and development specialist with over 20 years' experience in the health and higher education sectors. Joan brings educational expertise, creativity and innovation to The Allied Health Academy to support delivering education experiences and fostering communities of practice that connect and empower learners.

Josh Horsley, Data Analyst & Statistician, AHP Workforce

Josh is a statistician with over 5 years of experience with a focus on environmental epidemiology and has worked in academia and business. With advanced theoretical understanding and analytical skills, he designs, implements, and effectively communicates data-driven insights and answers to research questions across a range of methodologies and contexts.

Nicki Atkinson, Research Project Manager, HealthWork International

Nicki is a registered physiotherapist with over 7 years clinical experience in Australia and the UK. She has completed her Master of Public Health and is passionate about global health equity and health system improvement. Nicki has extensive experience in relationship management, project design, implementation and evaluation, and project management, which she brings to her role as Research Project Manager for the HealthWork International group. 

This webinar is brought to you by The Allied Health Academy. Learn more about our online community of practice: free to join.