Strategic Workforce Plan
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILIES
at a glance
2008 - 2011
Strategic Vision
“DHF Attracts And Retains A Skilled, Diverse And Responsive Workforce”
One Department - Hundreds of Career Choices
DHF offers some of the most remote and diverse employment opportunities in Australia, if not the world.
By comparison with other states we are small, but because of our size you will have access to rewarding and exciting career opportunities early in your career. Our pay and conditions are extremely competitive and in many cases exceed Australian benchmarks. Our modern workforce is characterised by flexible careers where employees can work in a number of different occupations. Nowhere else in the world will you be able to work, learn and grow in such a diverse workplace. There are literally hundreds of different careers in dozens of different settings. It’s true – there really is something for everyone! The difference is opportunity.
Our Values
Respect and cooperation
We respect the unique qualities of each individual, family and community and actively encourage partnerships and positive engagement to improve the quality of life in our community.
Responsibility to society
All our actions are underpinned by our commitment to equity and as part of that societal duty, DHF will promote access to our services across all population groups - particularly those with poorer health outcomes, who stand to benefit the most.
Pride in our work
We strive for levels of excellence that meet and exceed community expectations and hold ourselves accountable to the highest professional standards in service delivery and ethical practice.
We are here for our clients
The needs of our clients are paramount in the planning, administration and delivery of services to ensure that our entrusted resources are directed towards meeting individual and community needs in the most effective and efficient manner.
More information about this plan or working in DHF can be found at:
Strategic Workforce Planning Team (08) 89227072
Careers in Health and Families http://www.health.nt.gov.au/careers.shtml Nursing careers http://www.nursing.nt.gov.au/
*This is a summary document of a more comprehensive DHF Strategic Workforce Plan which is available on our website at http://www.health.nt.gov.au
Our Challenges
Like most organisations, DHF is responding to emerging trends and influences that require us to fundamentally review work and the way we work. The cornerstones of these shifts include:
Evidence Based Approach
Strengthening a Capable Workforce
Able to Attract and
Retain Talent
A Supportive and Engaging
Workplace Shifting labour market demands:
•
Rising demand for skilled knowledge workers Assessing for future needs:
•
The lead time required for many emerging skills is often several years
Global challenges:
•
NT is seen as a leader in disaster
management and will likely be called upon by the global community to support or respond to major health emergencies like the Bali bombing or SARS
New technologies:
•
High expectation to embrace modern technologies and evidence based decision making.
Industry growth:
•
The Health and Community Services industry is required to grow faster than any other Australian industry over the next 5 years Competition for talent:
•
The evolving demographics that produce an ever tightening labour market
Responding to the unique
• challenges in Indigenous and remote communities:
The key to sustainable communities is developing local people for local jobs to meet local needs
Changing workforce expectations:
•
Increasing focus on flexibility, work-life balance, mobility, decision making, leadership capability, learning and development
Goals
There are 4 key areas of focus in this plan
Evidence Based Approach
Wherever possible the most current and accurate evidence will be sought to inform workplace decisions and planning models. This means ensuring managers have timely access to the information they need to do their jobs.
Better data = better decisions
Corporate Measures
Percentage of managers who report they have access to the information they need to do their job
►
Initiatives reported through Innovation and Reform Reference Group for the National Health
► Workforce Taskforce
The education and training supply of health and community service professionals is aligned with
►
projected workforce requirements and service needs
What you should notice
National best practice workforce modelling systems
•
to forecast future workforce requirement Benchmarks against industry data in other
•
jurisdictions nationally and internationally Comprehensive suite of data sets available to
•
managers to enable them to make evidence based decisions relating to the workforce
Innovative service delivery models that most
•
effectively address client, staff and volunteer sector needs
Structured engagement processes with key
•
stakeholders
Quick Facts
The burden of renal disease in the
• Territory is akin to a population of
approximately 800,000 people The Territory had the third
• highest population growth of the jurisdictions (1.4%) behind that of Queensland and Western Australia High natural increase in population
• is driven by high fertility rates in the Indigenous population and underpins continuing growth There is a growing demand
• for services, in part due to a combination of increased community expectations, ageing population and increased focus on improving outcomes in Indigenous communities
Strengthening a Capable Worforce
Our workforce is our greatest asset and we can only achieve success through strengthening the capability of our staff. We will invest in developing our staff throughout their careers by not only thinking about today’s workforce needs, but by preparing for the needs of the future.
Corporate Measures
Percentage of employees who agree there is organisational support to acquire or develop knowledge
► and skills in their current job
Percentage of executives and managers who have development moves and percentage of which are
►
interdepartmental moves
Number and nature of learning and development initiatives provided
►
What you should notice
The right workforce mix who are able to lead, support
•
and provide high-quality services
Be the driver of an industry led training and learning
•
environment
A comprehensive and integrated approach to
•
succession management
A corporate citizen approach for capacity and
•
capability building activities
Quick Facts
In 2006/07, approximately
• $3 million was invested in learning
and development opportunities In the next 5 years, approximately
• 16% of our entire workforce will retire including 28% of executives and 24% of physical and technical staff
84% of staff surveyed in 2007
•
report they are committed to achieving DHF goals
There are currently 11 Indigenous
• cadets studying in the areas of nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, psychology, social work, welfare studies, commerce and medicine
Able to Attract and Retain Talent
In today’s labour market the ability to attract and retain staff is perhaps our greatest challenge and we understand that people have a choice as to who they work for. We must focus our efforts on growing our own by having a pipeline of capable staff and ensuring Indigenous people are more equitably represented in our workforce.
Corporate Measures
Number of flexible work choice initiatives undertaken by the organisation
►
Percentage of employees who report they would recommend the DHF as a good place to work
►
Percentage of managers who report they are able to attract and retain the talent they need
►
Extent to which voluntary turnover has changed
►
Percentage of Indigenous staff
►
What you should notice
Focus on ‘growing our own’ particularly in Indigenous
•
and remote communities
Increased level of flexibility to enable effective
•
recruitment to remote communities and hard-to- recruit positions
Partnerships with DEET and communities to better
•
support smooth transitions from school to work in the health and community service industry
Renewed workplace practices and processes that
•
are reflective of a modern, 21st century health and community services system
High calibre overseas trained staff well equipped to
•
live and work in the Territory
Embrace generational opportunities by supporting
•
staff through various transitions in their work life
Quick Facts
From Mar ‘07 to Feb ’08, there
• were 2842 new recruits to DHF 43% of staff work outside of
• Darwin
Approximately 10% of our staff
• identify as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent yet they represent nearly 30% of the population and approximately 60%
of our customers
Approximately 36% of all 25-29
• year olds leave in any one year Approximately 44% of all 25-29
• year old nurses leave in any one year
33% of medical practitioners
• working in the Territory are overseas trained
Supportive and Engaging Workplace and Culture
This is about ensuring our staff are valued in the workplace and understand how the work they do helps achieve our organisational goals. This means having input into decisions that affect them and supporting them in their career progression. The centrepiece is flexible career structures and pathways which reflect the changes in how staff will wish, and need to work in the future
Corporate Measures
Percentage of employees who agree the organisation helps them know and understand how well
► they are performing
Percentage of employees who report they receive timely recognition or acknowledgement for their
► work
Percentage of employees who agree they have support they need to balance work and personal life
►
Percentage of Work Partnership Plans in place
►
Percentage of employees who agree the feedback they receive from their supervisor helps them
► improve their performance
What you should notice
Expanded career pathways that facilitate mobility
•
across a diverse range of career opportunities Employee well-being and work-life balance is valued
•
Strategic and forward thinking approach to learning
•
support
We celebrate our successes and staff are rewarded
•
and recognised for their achievements
An effective performance management and feedback
•
system
There is a healthy and supportive culture in the
•
organisation
Quick Facts
Approximately 5,500 people are
• employed in DHF
Average retirement age in DHF is
• 59.1 years
In the 2007 staff survey 32%
•
of staff indicated that they had participated in a Work Performance Plan in the last 12 months
In the 2007 staff survey 60% of
• respondents indicated that they receive information to carry out their work in a timely manner
