Queensland Government: Rollout begins for Australian-first pharmacy pilot

Croaky Health Media looks into the new Aged Care Act; Australia’s use of Urgent Care Clinics; the RACGP’s new definition of general practice for accreditation purposes; the AAPi’s call for HECS debt relief for rural psychology graduates; the ACRRM’s call to fund a secondary school awareness program and a scholarship scheme to attract regional and remote students to a career in medicine; and new WHO guidance on ethical health worker migration.

We take a look at the latest Skills Shortages Analysis by Jobs and Skills Australia, and what it means for the Australian Health Sector. We explore the 2023 Skills Priority List, looking specifically at Health Sector Occupations, including current nationwide and statewide workforce shortages, and predicted economy-wide future demand.

The Australian College of Nursing comments on the ‘Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce - Scope of Practice Review’ (the 'Cormack Review'), which examines barriers, benefits and risks that health practitioners face in working to their full scope of practice in primary care. ACN Interim CEO, Professor Leanne Boyd, says potential reforms will “attract more people to nursing, keep more nurses in nursing, and attract experienced nurses back to nursing”.

As part of the Federal Government’s Migration Strategy, Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) will undertake labour market analysis and stakeholder engagement to help inform the Core Skills Occupations List (CSOL). The CSOL will identify occupations suitable for skilled migration and Australia’s workforce needs. JSA wants input from businesses, Australian and migrant workers, and job seekers to help finalise the draft CSOL. Lodge a submission or follow the progress here.