The hospital, like much of the health system in Victoria, is still experiencing workforce shortages, which pose a significant challenge.
“We’re still delivering care and treatment despite workforce shortages,” GV Health chief executive Matt Sharp said.
“However, we are relying on temporary staff, such as locum doctors and allied health professionals, to fill gaps.
“While we are able to maintain care, utilising temporary staff does come at a significant cost.”
Although challenges remain, Mr Sharp said the hospital had some success hiring international professionals, especially in nursing.
“Interestingly, we’ve had 45 nurses start in just five months, from July to the end of the year. Of those, only one is from Australia,” he said.
“The others are experienced nurses recruited from overseas.
“The challenge lies in our location, which presents difficulties in recruitment.
“However, we’ve found success through targeted recruitment efforts such as social media campaigns, short videos and promoting GV Health and the Shepparton area as a great place to live.”
Mr Sharp said the hospital had success with candidates from India and Sri Lanka who already had established connections in the Shepparton area.
He said GV Health hoped to replicate this approach in recruitment of allied health and mental health professionals.
The hospital has also had some luck recruiting former employees of the decommissioned Dhurringile Prison with experience in areas such as catering, cleaning and security.
Joint appointments with St Vincent’s Hospital have also helped to bring on more medical staff, according to Mr Sharp.
“We’re continuing to establish joint roles, blending rural and regional work between the two hospitals,” he said.
Despite some success in bringing workers to Shepparton, barriers remain.
“The biggest barriers are related to accommodation and schools,” Mr Sharp said.
The hospital rents about 80 properties in the area, in order to help people relocating for work.
However, Mr Sharp said it generally took 10 to 12 weeks for people to find their own accommodation, and it was challenging for people who were looking to buy property.
Access to schools and childcare also factors in, he said.
Despite recruitment efforts, vacancies at the hospital remain, particularly in the areas of nursing, midwifery, allied health and medical roles.
According to a spokesperson for the hospital, there are about 260 full-time equivalent staff positions open in these areas.
With many people in the healthcare workforce working part-time, the hospital estimates that the actual number of staff required to fill these positions is closer to 350 or 400.
Worker shortages can cause stress within the system, including increased wait times for patients, and existing workers feeling overloaded.
According to the Victorian Agency for Health Information, the share of patients being transferred from an ambulance to the emergency department at GV Health within 40 minutes has decreased in the past year.
Between July and September this year, about 50 per cent of patients waited longer than 40 minutes to be transferred.
At the same time, demand for health services is expected to grow.
The healthcare workforce in Victoria grew by 33 per cent between 2011 and 2021, according to the Victorian Department of Health.
However, due to factors such as population growth, rise in chronic disease and an ageing population, demand is also tracking up and expected to continue to do so.
The Victorian Skills Authority projects the state will need more than 59,000 new workers by 2026, with just over a quarter of these being required in rural and regional areas.
“Ultimately, while we’re working hard to bring people to Shepparton and GV Health, we can’t solve all these challenges alone. It requires a community effort,” Mr Sharp said.
“We’re involved with housing initiatives, ensuring fit-for-purpose accommodation, and working with schools to ensure GV Health grows as a destination.
“This is a team effort involving the broader community.”
As the holidays approach and friends and family come home to visit, GV Health wants to encourage those in healthcare to consider growing their career at home.
