80638 (2024). Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Health

80638 (2024). Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Health: What steps has he taken, if any, to ensure that Health NZ workforce plans have a focus on actions that contribute to a sustainable aged-care workforce, including a focus on the training and retention of aged-care nurses, healthcare assistants, geriatricians and psycho-geriatricians/psychiatrists, and cultural advisors specialising in the health of older people, as recommended in Recommendation 5 of the Aged Care Commissioner’s March 2024 report?

Hon Dr Shane Reti: I am advised that Health New Zealand's Health Workforce Plan has been published and confirms current and future priority workforce actions, including two that will help address aged care workforce shortages. These are: • Changing how Health NZ delivers care by shifting to new models of care and service delivery approaches • Improving supply by training more health workers locally; getting better at recruiting from overseas, and doing more to retain our people. I am further advised that from 3 December, funding for the primary and community sector is available to support the employment of 200 new graduate registered nurses. This initiative will help primary and community providers, including rural, NGOs, and funded aged care facilities, to attract and retain new graduate Registered Nurses.