Workplace churn is taking a heavy toll on the Northern Territory’s remote health clinics, with about half of staff leaving after just four months on the job. Two-thirds of health staff leave remote work altogether after a single year. Monash University researcher Deborah Russell, who led the study conducted by Monash, Flinders, Macquarie, Adelaide and Sydney universities, said a lack of continuity of care had “serious implications for both patient health and staff safety” in remote clinics. “It shows extreme fragility of the remote workforce, confirming that there is a heavy reliance on agency nurses to provide primary health care in NT remote communities,” Dr Russell said. She said constantly having to recruit and train staff was a “serious drain on resources”. The study looked at staff turnover in 53 remote clinics in the Northern Territory between 2013 and 2015. Study chief investigator John Wakerman Flinders University said bolstering the workforce of Aboriginal health practitioners could go some way to solving the problem. NT Health chief nurse Heather Keighley said the department was working on stabilising the remote workforce by moving to longer contracts, reducing the reliance on agency nurses and offering more educational and leadership opportunities for staff. Nurses’ accommodation in communities will be fitted with internet capability to allow staff to stay in touch with their friends and family. Ms Keighley said ideally, turnover would be about 10 per cent each year. She said a stable workforce was more effective. Community members were better off under a stable workforce because they felt more comfortable and willing to attend health clinics, Ms Keighley said.
