Comm2Work: Developing a nursing workforce plan for a child and youth community health service

Abstract

There is a dearth of evidence on applied methodologies to workforce planning in nursing. Research and commentary to date reflects ad hoc, operational planning rather than strategic approaches. Strategic planning is particularly important in primary health care settings because investment in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong health representing a long-term return on investment. The aim of this project was to ascertain the applicability of a comprehensive four-step workforce planning methodology to develop a three-to-five-year nursing workforce plan in a child and youth community health service. A secondary aim was to identify what elements of the methodology were important to engage nurses in the process. Over a six-month period, a comprehensive methodology was applied. A survey was conducted with participants to elicit perspectives of the planning process. Free text responses were subject to thematic analysis. Gaps in current processes and available data posed obstacles during workforce analysis. Three key themes generated from the survey data were: Engaging with the planning process, Creating change and Making a difference. This reflected an optimism toward the plan and an urgency to move ahead. A systematic approach that uses a variety of information sources is important to develop a comprehensive nursing workforce plan. Key processes that engaged nurses were scenario building and future forecasting. This work demonstrates that a systematic workforce planning methodology is acceptable and effective. Engagement of nursing staff is a key factor in planning and important to create readiness for change.tables/charts. Journal Subset: Australia & New Zealand; Double Blind Peer Reviewed; Editorial Board Reviewed; Expert Peer Reviewed; Nursing; Peer Reviewed. NLM UID: 9612493. <br />