The territory's health workers will be stretched by a rapidly ageing population, an older workforce, intensifying competition for doctors and nurses, and rising rates of chronic disease, a government discussion paper warns.
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The report, published today, discusses the key problems facing the territory's health workers, and will be used to help build a workforce plan for the next five years.
It was issued a day after the government announced $1 million for 33 new projects to support GPs and provide them with additional training as part of the GP development fund.
The report finds the ageing population will put increasing strain on Australia's health sector, as demand for health services increases and the supply of doctors, nurses and other health professionals dwindles.
The health workforce is ageing faster than the general labour force, according to the report, meaning health professionals may not be replaced fast enough to keep up with the extra demand.
About 30 per cent of the ACT health workforce is aged over 50, and 15 per cent are aged over 55.
Those workers are fast reaching the average retirement age, which was found to be 61 for men and 59 for women.
A shift to part-time work, the reliance on international medical graduates, inter-professional rivalries, and the increasing specialisation of the health workforce were also cited as challenges for the system.
The report notes particular concern around keeping and replacing experienced staff, and warns new graduates are leaving after one or two years in the ACT system.
It also says the government must lift the workforce participation rate, give patients more self-care options, reduce absenteeism within the existing workforce, increase collaboration between the arms of the health sector, and put more care into promoting and retaining staff.
Expanding primary care, introducing training incentives, encouraging the use of support staff and emphasising community health are also discussed as options to cope with the extra pressures on the health system.
''Without significant changes in the way health care is delivered into the future, rising demand, combined with reduced workforce supply, presents a real risk to maintaining a sustainable health system,'' the report says.
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher acknowledged the strain the combination of an ageing population and an ageing workforce would put on health workers.
But Ms Gallagher said the ACT government was moving to identify and address any potential gaps in the system.
''We have already delivered more nurses, more beds and better facilities in our health system,'' she said.
''But we also need to look at new ways of attracting and retaining health staff in an increasingly competitive environment, ways to train the next generation of health staff and new ways of doing things.''
Canberra Hospital discharge liaison nurse Jennie Pippen entered the health system in her mid-30s, and is now 41. She plans to stay in the ACT system until her retirement, and believes older health workers bring unique skills to the workforce.
