Register      Login
Australian Health Review Australian Health Review Society
Journal of the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Shape of allied health: an environmental scan of 27 allied health professions in Victoria

Susan A. Nancarrow A E , Gretchen Young B , Katy O’Callaghan C , Mathew Jenkins D , Kathleen Philip D and Kegan Barlow A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Southern Cross University, School of Health and Human Sciences, Military Road, East Lismore, Lismore, NSW 2483, Australia. Email: susan.nancarrow@scu.edu.au; kegan.barlow@scu.edu.au

B Young Futures, 98 Kilkivan Avenue, Kenmore, Brisbane, Qld 4069, Australia. Email: gretchen@youngfutures.com.au

C Outpost Consulting, PO Box 23, Mt Nebo, Qld 4520, Australia. Email: katy.ocallaghan@icloud.com

D Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, Workforce Development Group, Melbourne, Vic., Australia. Email: Matthew.Jenkins@dhhs.vic.gov.au; Kathleen.philip@dhhs.vic.gov.au

E Corresponding author. Email: susan.nancarrow@scu.edu.au

Australian Health Review 41(3) 327-335 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH16026
Submitted: 3 February 2016  Accepted: 12 May 2016   Published: 11 August 2016

Abstract

Objective In 2015, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services commissioned the Victorian Allied Health Workforce Research Program to provide data on allied health professions in the Victorian public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Herein we present a snapshot of the demographic profiles and distribution of these professions in Victoria and discuss the workforce implications.

Methods The program commenced with an environmental scan of 27 allied health professions in Victoria. This substantial scoping exercise identified existing data, resources and contexts for each profession to guide future data collection and research. Each environmental scan reviewed existing data relating to the 27 professions, augmented by an online questionnaire sent to the professional bodies representing each discipline.

Results Workforce data were patchy but, based on the evidence available, the allied health professions in Victoria vary greatly in size (ranging from just 17 child life therapists to 6288 psychologists), are predominantly female (83% of professions are more than 50% female) and half the professions report that 30% of their workforce is aged under 30 years. New training programs have increased workforce inflows to many professions, but there is little understanding of attrition rates. Professions reported a lack of senior positions in the public sector and a concomitant lack of senior specialised staff available to support more junior staff. Increasing numbers of allied health graduates are being employed directly in private practice because of a lack of growth in new positions in the public sector and changing funding models. Smaller professions reported that their members are more likely to be professionally isolated within an allied health team or larger organisations. Uneven rural–urban workforce distribution was evident across most professions.

Conclusions Workforce planning for allied health is extremely complex because of the lack of data, fragmented funding and regulatory frameworks and diverse employment contexts.

What is known about this topic? There is a lack of good-quality workforce data on the allied health professions generally. The allied health workforce is highly feminised and unevenly distributed geographically, but there is little analysis of these issues across professions.

What does this paper add? The juxtaposition of the health workforce demographics and distribution of 27 allied health professions in Victoria illustrates some clear trends and identifies several common themes across professions.

What are the implications for practitioners? There are opportunities for the allied health professions to collectively address several of the common issues to achieve economies of scale, given the large number of professions and small size of many.


References

[1]  Adams J, Tocchnin L. The impact of allied health professionals in improving outcomes and reducing the cost of treating diabetes, osteoarthritis and stroke. Canberra: Novartis Pharmaceuticals; 2015.

[2]  Lizarondo L, Turnbull C, Kroon T, Grimmer K, Bell A, Kumar S, McEvoy M, Milanese S, Russell M, Sheppard L. Allied health: integral to transforming health. Aust Health Rev 2016; 40 194–204.
Allied health: integral to transforming health.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26210992PubMed |

[3]  Philip K. Allied health: the untapped potential in the Australian health system. Aust Health Rev 2015; 39 244–247.
Allied health: the untapped potential in the Australian health system.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26629583PubMed |

[4]  Young G, Hulcombe J, Hurwood A, Nancarrow SA. The Queensland Health Ministerial Taskforce on health practitioner expanded scope of practice: consultation findings. Aust Health Rev 2015; 39 249–254.
The Queensland Health Ministerial Taskforce on health practitioner expanded scope of practice: consultation findings.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26004288PubMed |

[5]  Naccarella L. Strengthening the allied health workforce: policy, practice and research issues and opportunities. Aust Health Rev 2015; 39 241–243.
Strengthening the allied health workforce: policy, practice and research issues and opportunities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26629582PubMed |

[6]  Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee. The Australian allied health workforce. An overview of planning. Canberra: AHWAC Report, Department of Health; 2006.

[7]  Cartmill L, Comans TA, Clark MJ, Ash S, Sheppard L. Using staffing ratios for workforce planning: evidence on nine allied health professions. Hum Resour Health 2012; 10 1–8.

[8]  Pretorius A, Karunaratne N, Fehring S. Australian physiotherapy workforce at a glance: a narrative review. Aust Health Rev 2016;
Australian physiotherapy workforce at a glance: a narrative review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[9]  Stagnitti K, Schoo A, Reed C, Dunbar J. Short report: retention of allied health professionals in south-west of Victoria. Aust J Rural Health 2005; 13 364–5.
Short report: retention of allied health professionals in south-west of Victoria.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 16313533PubMed |

[10]  Keane S, Lincoln M, Smith T. Retention of allied health professionals in rural New South Wales: a thematic analysis of focus group discussions. BMC Health Serv Res 2012; 12 175
Retention of allied health professionals in rural New South Wales: a thematic analysis of focus group discussions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22726758PubMed |

[11]  Keane S, Smith T, Lincoln M, Fisher K. Survey of the rural allied health workforce in New South Wales to inform recruitment and retention. Aust J Rural Health 2011; 19 38–44.
Survey of the rural allied health workforce in New South Wales to inform recruitment and retention.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 21265924PubMed |

[12]  Belcher S, Victorian Universities Rural Health Consortium (VURHC). The VURHC rural allied health professionals recruitment and retention study. Rowville: VURHC; 2005.

[13]  Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). National health workforce dataset. Canberra: AIHW; 2013.

[14]  Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Census of housing and population. Canberra: ABS; 2011.

[15]  Victorian Public Sector Commission. Workforce data collections. Victorian Public Sector Commission, Melbourne, Victoria; 2014.

[16]  Leach MJ, Segal L, May E. Lost opportunities with Australia’s health workforce. Med J Aust 2010; 193 167–72.
| 20678046PubMed |

[17]  McLaughlin E, Lincoln M, Adamson B. Speech-language pathologists’ views on attrition from the profession. Int J Speech-Language Pathol 2008; 10 156–68.
Speech-language pathologists’ views on attrition from the profession.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[18]  Health Workforce Australia. Australia’s health workforce series: podiatrists in focus. Adelaide: Health Workforce Australia; 2014.

[19]  Ridgewell E, Dillon M, O’Connor J, Anderson S, Clarke L. Demographics of the Australian orthotic/prosthetic workforce 2007–12. Aust Health Rev 2016;
Demographics of the Australian orthotic/prosthetic workforce 2007–12.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26827108PubMed |