Rural Workforce Agency of Victoria
| Name: |
Rural Workforce Agency of Victoria |
| Year Established: |
1998 |
| State: |
Victoria |
|
|
| Physical Address: |
| Suite 8, Level 4 |
| 458 Swanston Street |
| CARLTON VIC 3053 |
| Australia |
| Postal Address: |
| Suite 8, Level 4 |
| 458 Swanston Street |
| CARLTON VIC 3053 |
| Australia |
|
|
|
|
The Rural Workforce Agency, Victoria (RWAV) is established to redress the shortage of general practitioner services in rural Victoria and promote greater health service options for country Victoria. As the peak body for rural workforce issues, RWAV supports the recruitment and retention of Victorian rural General Practitioners. The Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and the State Department of Human Services fund RWAV's activities.
RWAV opened its doors on 1 July, 1998. The agency was established by rural General Practitioners and has a broad membership which includes the 15 rural Divisions of General Practice, General Practice Divisions Victoria, Victorian HealthCare Association, Municipal Association of Victoria, Rural Medical Family Network, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Monash University Centre for Rural Health and the Coordinating Unit for Rural Health Education in Victoria.
More than 1,366,000 people live in rural Victoria outside of Melbourne and Geelong. RWAV currently supports 1300 rural General Practitioners working in solo practice, group practice and Aboriginal Medical services in regional centres, large and small rural towns and remote areas throughout the State. RWAV services are provided on a regional basis with the State organised into three regions: North, East and West.
RWAV's Area Managers work closely with local GPs, Divisions of General Practice, local health service providers, local government and communities to support the development of sustainable general practice.
RWAV's work is strongly collaborative. A major priority is RWAV's partnership with the rural Divisions. To this end, RWAV and Rural Divisions has established a GP Workforce Network to work together to support the recruitment of GPs and locums for rural Victoria. Through RWAV's support, supply, professional development and policy development programs, grants and initiatives, RWAV is seeking to:
- increase the number of General Practitioners and supporting health professionals working in rural Victoria
- retain General Practitioners and other health professionals in rural Victoria
- support the upskilling of General Practitioners and supporting health professionals to meet the demands of rural practice
- ensure the development of sustainable models of General Practice in rural localities
- establish benchmark workforce data and research which informs and directs statewide workforce policy
- evaluate outcomes, programs and services quantitatively and qualitatively todemonstrate the effectiveness of workforce initiatives.
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
- Recruited and placed doctors under the Rural Locum Relief Program and Overseas Trained Doctor program in the last year
- Implemented RWAV's first full year of support and professional development grant programs to rural GPs and communities.
- Completed a Recruitment Feasibility study including a study on the recruitment market in rural Victoria, which lead to the establishment of the GP Workforce Network.
- Completed the development of the Marketing Rural General Practice Study which was based on market research with rural GPs, urban GPs, students and GP spouses.
- Strengthened the partnership and communication arrangements with key stakeholders, including the rural Divisions of General Practice.
- Promoted the development of Regional Training Networks.
- Played a lead role in the development of the Victorian State Government Overseas Trained Doctor Recruitment Program.
- Stage one of the RWAV database completed with a prototype GP register in place using a range of data sources.
- Successfully conducted two major conferences and supported a range of education programs.
CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE
- Increase the numbers of GPs recruited through the GP Workforce Network and through the Rural Locum Relief Program and the Victorian Overseas Trained Doctor program.
- Identify and focus on approximately 12 strategic towns/communities of high priority for both recruitment and retention activities
- Implement target marketing approaches to address short and long-term recruitment and retention strategies.
- Continue to support rural GPs and Divisions and to promote and increase the utilisation of RWAV grants and support programs for rural GPs.
- Work with VACCHO, to implement strategies to address the workforce needs of Aboriginal Medical Services.
- Continue to build communication and partnership arrangements with our key stakeholders.
- Support the continued development of Regional Training Consortia and Regional Training Networks
- To further develop information systems and the General Practice Data bases to support GP recruitment, research, and policy including implementing the national minimum data set.
- To raise RWAV's profile as a key agency in the delivery of GP recruitment and retention services.
Page last updated: October 2000
