Summary of clinic-level (A) turnover rates and (B) stability indicators by staff employment category and Indigenous status. Source: Human Resources for Health (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s12960-024-00942-9
New research led by the Menzies School of Health Research has revealed that staff turnover in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) clinics in regional and remote areas of the Northern Territory (NT) and Western Australia (WA) averages 151% each year.
The groundbreaking study, published last week in the journal Human Resources for Health, also found that turnover rates for Indigenous staff were half that of non-Indigenous staff, suggesting that hiring Indigenous staff could lead to greater stability.
The researchers used payroll data from 11 of 39 ACCHSs across Western Australia and the Northern Territory to track staff employment status and measure annual turnover and 12-month stability rates from 2017 to 2019. Participating ACCHSs provide care to approximately 63,500 Aboriginal people living in 30 communities.
The study found that staff turnover was higher in remote locations. It highlighted that service delivery costs are already high in very remote locations and staff turnover increases these costs. Turnover and low staff retention also have a significant impact on the human resources of ACCHSs in remote locations.
This leads to ACCHSs becoming increasingly reliant on short-term and casual staff, with turnover redirecting resources to the regular, costly and time-consuming recruitment and onboarding of new staff. The study highlighted that current primary health care funding models are inadequate to cover these high costs for remote ACCHSs, and highlighted the urgent need for more equitable and needs-based funding.
Reducing staff turnover increases interpersonal continuity of care, preserves valuable local knowledge, fosters trust between patients and providers, and improves the cultural safety of care.
Staffing in remote clinics can be stabilised by increasing the employment of Aboriginal staff, but this requires expanding local training opportunities to enable local Aboriginal people to enter the health workforce and pursue better career pathways.
The study is part of a larger program analysing the health and cost impacts of short-term staffing in Aboriginal primary health care services.
“This paper reveals that turnover rates are very high in regional centres and disproportionately high in remote Aboriginal health services,” said Dr Prabhakar Beginadu, from the Menzies School of Health Research.
“Increasing the hiring of local Indigenous people could improve the stability of the health workforce in remote areas while also improving cultural safety for patients, as Indigenous people have a deeper understanding of local cultures and contexts. This requires increased support and training pathways to build Indigenous capacity.”
“Developing a local, skilled workforce is the best way to meet the health needs of communities across the Northern Territory,” Professor Alan Cass said.
“At Menzies, we are committed to helping young people in regional and remote communities overcome barriers to entering the health workforce. Through the Menzies Ramacciotti Centre we provide people with training, skills and confidence, and pathways and opportunities to progress to higher education and employment. Making a difference in the Northern Territory takes long-term partnerships and support.”
Further information: Prabhakar Veginadu et al., “Patterns of health workforce turnover and retention in Aboriginal community-controlled health services in remote communities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, 2017-2019,” Human Resources for Health (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s12960-024-00942-9
Courtesy of Menzies School of Health Studies
Source: Extreme staff turnover in remote health services revealed (August 29, 2024) Retrieved August 29, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-extreme-staff-turnover-remote-health.html
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