New tool to help with aged care workforce planning

Example data input showing a gap analysis

The Aged Care Workforce Industry Council (ACWIC) has today launched a new online tool, which has been specifically designed for Australian aged care providers to better understand gaps in their workforce.

The Workforce Planning Tool – now available on the ACWIC website – supports aged care providers to establish a baseline understanding of their organisation’s workforce and lays a foundation for a sustainable workforce plan. An information webinar was held today, with a recording of that session below:

CEO of the Aged Care Workforce Industry Council, Louise O’Neill, said that the Workforce Planning Tool is a breakthrough for the aged care sector.

“We know that there is an enormous amount of pressure on aged care providers to build and maintain a sustainable workforce as the demand for care increases. Workforce planning is absolutely critical to ensure that older people continue to receive a high standard of care and that the well-being of aged care workers remains a priority.

“Our workforce planning tool provides accessible and practical assistance, including resources and instant visual insights to help providers to better understand their current workforce, where the gaps may be, and model future scenarios to enable proactive workforce planning.

“Planners can enter data about the people they care for, plus the roles and services they provide, which then enables the tool to present a workforce gap analysis,” she said.

The tool is suitable for both home care and residential aged care providers.

“While the tool will be particularly useful to small and medium-sized aged care providers, I invite everyone involved in the aged care workforce planning to make use of the tool.

“We have collaborated with aged care workers and managers responsible for workforce planning across a range of settings throughout the development phase, to ensure that it is fit for purpose. We’ve received really positive feedback so far, and we’ll continue to seek input from the sector as we work to improve the features and functionality.

“The development of the Workforce Planning Tool is a major investment on behalf of the aged care sector. It will support the sector to adopt more sustainable planning practices as we enter this period of significant reform,” Ms O’Neill added.

The development of the Workforce Planning Tool aligns with strategic action 6 from A Matter of Care. the 2018 national aged care workforce strategy. The current remit of the Aged Care Workforce Industry Council is to provide a unified body to oversee, coordinate and sequence the implementation of the 14 strategic actions set out in the strategy.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here