Health worker density and distribution

Over the last ten years of rural workforce policies, access to medical practitioners in rural and regional areas has improved. One measure of access is the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) practitioners per 1,000 people (FTE rate). Since 2013, very remote areas had the highest growth in the FTE rate of medical practitioners. However, challenges continue in very remote areas, particularly in terms of comparable access. The increases in the total number of medical practitioners provides a larger pool available to work in, or provide outreach services to, rural and remote Australia. \r\n\r\nNurses and midwives are relatively evenly distributed between major cities and rural and regional areas. As the data indicates, remote areas have the highest FTE rate of nurses and midwives while very remote areas has the highest growth in FTE rate.\r\n\r\nIn contrast, allied health practitioners are the fastest growing profession but the most city-centric. The maldistribution is evident as the FTE rate decreases as remoteness increases. \r\n\r\nThe department’s emphasis is on rural and remote end to end training in rural locations as well as the creation of new opportunities for Australian trained health workforce to train and work in rural and remote Australia. Ensuring individual decisions are aligned to what the nation needs from the health workforce in the future is essential.\r\n