Rural Mental Health Workforce Kit

During 2021 and 2022 HCA undertook an innovative workforce planning project for the NSW Mental Health Commission (MHC). We have described the work previously (see below links). The workforce targeted in this project was the mental health workforce in rural areas, but the methods and research outcomes would be broadly applicable to any health workforce in a ‘thin’ labour market context.

The main product from the project was a ‘Rural Mental Health Workforce Toolkit’. The NSW MHC has worked further on the toolkit creating a desktop published quality document for distribution. At the same time, they linked the workforce planning Toolkit with other work they had been doing on a Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Support Guide for Rural Communities. The final draft document is much stronger.

The MHC is currently testing the Toolkit in a remote Far Western NSW community location and will use this testing to edit and finalise a published document. It is likely to be available early next year. We see this as a potentially very important tool, not just for the targeted workforce, and not just for the rural context.

Register your interest with us to receive notice of when a copy of the Toolkit becomes publicly accessible or just to talk with us more about the design of the tool and its application to multiple workforce contexts.