Questions raised over workforce plan no-show, Redman
Author: Terry Redman
Published on: 14-July-2008
Stirling MLA Terry Redman says the public is entitled to know what has become of the State Government’s ‘dental workforce strategy’ which was to have been finalised in August 2007.
Mr Redman was referring to a ‘workforce plan’ document which the Government claimed was being developed to ensure the future of an adequate public dental workforce, including the mobile school service.
“This is the same plan that the Minister told the Parliament was to be completed in August last year, yet here we are almost twelve months later and there is still no sign of it,” Mr Redman said.
“All questions to the Minister for Health in relation to ongoing closures in the mobile school dental service are met with the response that a workforce plan is being developed to address staffing issues.
“Whether that plan will ever see the light of day is anyone’s guess.”
Mr Redman said the closure of seven mobile school dental services this year should have set alarm bells ringing but the State Government had failed to implement the changes so clearly needed to attract and retain school dental staff.
The mobile closures had extended across regional Western Australia and included Bridgetown, Boyup Brook, Nannup, Balingup, Mt Barker, Denmark, Cranbrook, Harvey, Jurien, Tom Price, Carnarvon and Port Hedland.
While he welcomed the re-opening of the Harvey and Mt Barker/Denmark services, Mr Redman said there appeared to be a lack of any cohesive long-term strategy to ensure the future of the mobile service in country WA.
“In 2004, The Centre for Rural and Remote Oral Health at UWA undertook a survey of all the State’s registered dental therapists. Its findings predicted dental workforce shortages and identified improved wages and expanded training as opportunities for improvement that should be embraced,” Mr Redman said.
“Given the clear issues and potential solutions indentified in that UWA report, it is reasonable to ask why it is taking this Government so long to formulate its own plan to address the critical staffing issues within the dental service.”
