State Government offers cash incentives to bolster Kimberley health workforce

The State Government is offering new incentives to midwives on regional placements in an attempt to bolster the health workforce. Midwives working in regional hospitals will have access to travel, meal, accommodation and daily allowances. The allowances are part of the latest round of ongoing recruitment measures by the Department of Health to make metropolitan and regional employment more attractive for qualified midwives. For those working in the Kimberley, which the most recent Regional Price Index report showed was on average 10.8 per cent more expensive to live in than Perth, the incentives are expected to significantly ease the financial pressures. A WA Country Health Service (WACHS) spokesperson said along with the financial incentives, the package would give midwives an opportunity to be part of nationally recognised services. “WACHS offers financial incentives ... and the opportunity to be part of maternity services that are recognised as national leaders in the provision of women and family-centred care for Aboriginal antenatal care, Midwifery Group Practice programs, Positive Birth Education telehealth program and the 24-7 Midwifery and Obstetric Emergency Telehealth Service (MOETS),” they said. The campaign will also offer recently retired midwives casual appointments with more flexible working arrangements and incentives for regional staff. The new incentives build on other recruitment efforts, including overseas and interstate TV and radio marketing which has already seen WA Health’s clinical workforce grow by 1107 full-time nurses and midwives from January to May.