New South Wales Health Clinical Education and Training Institute Allied Health Future Directions Consultation Report

1. Allied Health Clinical Education and Training
Future Directions Consultation Report
20 June 2011
future directions

2. ALLIED HEALTH CLINICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FUTURE DIRECTIONS CONSULTATION REPORT
Executive summary Contents
The Clinical Education and Training Institute (CETI) Allied Health Directorate held its first consultation Background 2
forum on 20th June 2011 with leaders in allied health from across NSW. This report presents an
Overview of presentations 3
overview of the discussions and key outcomes from the day and provides a platform to “start the
conversation” in NSW Health to enhance education and training for allied health professionals. Small group discussions 5
Delegates included leaders in allied health as nominated by Local Health District (LHD) Chief Current strengths and opportunities 6
Executives in addition to the NSW Chief Allied Health Officer. CETI staff in attendance included
Building capacity and governance 7
the Chief Executive, General Manager, Allied Health Learning and Teaching Coordinators and staff
from the Centre for Learning and Teaching, Rural and Remote, Medical, Nursing and Midwifery Harnessing and sharing resources 8
Directorates. The aim of the day was to identify priorities for allied health clinical education and Vision for the future 10
training. The key issues identified from the day were the need for: Appendix – list of attendees 12
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
• Robust governance structures for allied health clinical education and training within Local
Health Districts including representation from allied health at all levels
• State-wide strategy and leadership in clinical education and training
• Mechanisms for harnessing and sharing resources across the state
• Creation of dedicated interdisciplinary allied health educator/coordinator positions
• Leadership, management and extended scope of practice training for senior clinicians
• Skill development for designated clinical educators
• Enhancing the skills of staff, in the use of information technology
1
• Advocacy to increase access to existing information technology including internet access
for all staff within Local Health Districts
• Career pathway and workforce development to ensure sustainable change for the allied
health workforce.
The feedback obtained will inform the development of the Allied Health Directorate’s activities
over the next 12 months. Further consultation forums with stakeholders are planned.
By collaborating with our key stakeholders and the newly established CETI Allied Health Advisory
Committee, the Directorate is working to meet the clinical education and training needs of “staff
on the ground” to facilitate the delivery of high quality of patient care for the people of NSW.
The CETI Allied Health Directorate greatly appreciates the
feedback, ideas and suggestions provided by the leaders
in allied health at the “Future Directions” meeting.
NSW Clinical Education and Training Institute (CETI)
Building 12
Gladesville Hospital
GLADESVILLE NSW 2060
Tel: (02) 9844 6551
Fax: (02) 9844 6544
www.ceti.nsw.gov.au
info@ceti.nsw.gov.au
Post: Locked Bag 5022, GLADESVILLE NSW 1675
Clinical Education and Training Institute. Allied health clinical education and training
“future directions” consultation report 20 June 2011. Sydney: CETI, 2010.
This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training
purposes subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. It may not
be reproduced for commercial usage or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than
those indicated requires written permission from CETI.
© CETI August 2011
For further copies of this document, please contact CETI, or download
a digital copy from the CETI website: www.ceti.nsw.gov.au

3. ALLIED HEALTH CLINICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FUTURE DIRECTIONS CONSULTATION REPORT
Background Overview of presentations
The Future of Education and Training
in NSW
Professor Steven Boyages
CETI Chief Executive
The need to develop flexible and adaptable
health care professionals that are able to
meet the demands of a constantly changing
health care system was noted by CETIs Chief
Executive. The current drivers of change in health
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
and their link to required reforms in education
and training to ensure health professionals have
the required knowledge and skills to meet the
changing health care needs of the people of
NSW was affirmed.
The establishment of CETI occurred following
the Special Commission of Inquiry into Acute
Care in NSW Public Hospitals (Garling Report).
2 The Clinical Education and Training Institute (CETI) was established in NSW Professor Boyages highlighted that Allied 3
on 1 July 2010 as one of the four pillars of health reform resulting from the Health Professionals were valuable members
Aims
Special Commission of Enquiry into Acute Care in NSW Public Hospitals. of health care teams and played an important
The aims of the meeting were
CETI’s mission is to provide a central source of leadership and coordination in role in the delivery of high quality patient care,
to consult and collaborate with
the area of clinical education and training to ensure all health professionals have prevention and management of chronic disease
Allied Health Leaders in NSW
the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver high quality and safe patient care and complex comorbidities in the NSW Health
regarding:
to the people of NSW. System. The establishment of CETIs Allied Health
• Current strengths in allied Directorate provides recognition of the important
The Allied Health Directorate has been established within CETI to lead and health clinical education and roles played by allied health in patient care and
coordinate the clinical education and training needs of the 23 allied health training the clinical education and training needs of allied
professions and allied health support staff working within the NSW public • Areas of need health professionals. The Directorate will serve as
health system. The Directorate’s aim is to build strong working relationships
• Development opportunities. a central point of leadership and coordination for
with key stakeholders to support the clinical education and training needs of
The feedback will influence the clinical education and training for the allied health
allied health professionals by identifying opportunities to build capacity and
development of CETIs Allied and assistant workforce in NSW.
governance within existing resources, identify core competencies across
disciplines, development of policy/frameworks, resources and standards to Health Directorate’s operational Professor Boyages presented Garling’s four
support the delivery of clinical education and training. plan for 2011/2012 and identify pillars of health reform and how CETI would
investment opportunities in be working in close partnership with the pillars
As part of the initial consultation phase, the Allied Health Directorate
allied health clinical education to minimise duplication and maximise impact
organised a consultation forum held on the 20th June 2011 at the Northern
and training in NSW. of initiatives to improve the skills, knowledge
Sydney Education Centre. The forum consisted of short presentations from
and attitudes of health professionals including
the CETI Chief Executive and Allied Health Directorate followed by small group
improving the way health professionals work
discussions. The key themes and outcomes of the day have been summarised
together in teams.
in this report.
CETI’s Team Health Program, established
following key recommendations from the Special
Commission of Inquiry into Acute Care in NSW
Public Hospitals (Garling Report), reinforced
the need for a competent workforce to avoid
potential breakdown in communication and poor
team functioning which can lead to poor patient
outcomes.

4. ALLIED HEALTH CLINICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FUTURE DIRECTIONS CONSULTATION REPORT
Overview of presentations (continued)
As stated by Peter Garling SC in 2009 “The than operational with the goal of supporting local
changing of a professional culture can only occur implementation. It was asserted that CETIs role
if the why and wherefore of reform is taught in the would not “take over” the existing good work
undergraduate and early clinical training years. being completed by allied health professionals
The creation of a modern well trained, flexible across NSW but rather harness existing “ad hoc”
hospital workforce is a major objective of the approaches to education and training. The initial
recommendations I have made. In particular, I focus of the Directorate is to identify areas of
recommend that an Institute of Clinical Education commonality across the breadth of professions
and Training be established with a broad mandate such as developing resources and training for
to take charge of the training of a new generation clinical supervisors.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
of clinicians in interdisciplinary team-based A key focus of the Directorate is in developing
treatment of patients, and to assess and evaluate solid working relationships and partnerships with
the clinical training of junior doctors, nurses and key stakeholders as outlined below.
allied health professionals”.
Current reforms required as outlined in the
literature, were presented. They included the need
to focus on instructional reform which means
changes in the way clinical education is delivered
4 CETI Allied Health Directorate so that clinicians develop into leaders and 5
Future Directions enlightened change agents through transformative
learning. In addition, institutional reforms call for a
Jacqueline Dominish and Daniella Pfeiffer
move away from inward looking silos to outward
Allied Health Learning and Teaching Coordinators
looking/joint planning approaches to academic
systems rather than standalone institutions. To
facilitate this process it was announced that
leadership at all levels and sharing of ideas and
information between and across professions was
required.
The meeting focused the identification of ideas
and information from the leaders in allied health
to reveal current priority areas which will enhance
education and training for the allied health
workforce in NSW.
Small group discussions
Small group brainstorming with allocated topics in groups of five to six people focused
on establishing a system to support allied health clinical education and training in NSW.
Groups focused on:
• Current strengths and opportunities
• Building capacity and governance
• Resources
• Tools
The Allied Health Directorate is providing a
• Skills and knowledge.
central source of leadership and coordination
for clinical education and training across the
breadth of 23 professions and the assistant
workforce which form allied health in NSW. The
role of the Directorate is largely strategic rather

5. ALLIED HEALTH CLINICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FUTURE DIRECTIONS CONSULTATION REPORT
Current strengths and opportunities Building capacity and governance
All participants were asked to consider and discuss two questions in relation to allied health clinical Participants reflected on:
education and training: 1. What facility and LHD governance is required to ensure clinical education and training is core
1. What is working well? business for allied health?
2. What else do we need? 2. How could this be achieved within existing resources?
Participants identified collectively that NSW allied health professionals are a dedicated, enthusiastic Local Health District governance
and talented workforce which has “pockets” of excellence with respect to implementing education
There was overwhelming agreement that executive level endorsement and allied health representation
and training initiatives. Current areas of success include:
within LHDs at all levels is required to ensure clinical education and training is core business. Ways in
• Discipline specific training of junior staff which this could be achieved within existing resources were:
• The physiotherapy new graduate allocation process • Ensuring allied health representation is present on all levels of existing governance structures (from
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
• The establishment of interdisciplinary allied health educators and information sharing within the network meetings to the executive level within LHDs)
Child Health Network • Establishing multidisciplinary ‘LHD Education and Training Committees’ with links to other relevant
• The establishment of discipline specific clinical educator roles in some LHDs as a result of the stakeholders
allied health award translation. • Creating more Allied Health Interdisciplinary Clinical Educator and discipline specific consultant
Opportunities for improvement were identified. It was felt that allied health could improve how positions to coordinate and support delivery of education and training
education and training is implemented within NSW Health by: • Better utilisation of Level 6 specialist clinicians where they exist
• Harnessing existing ‘ad hoc’ education and training initiatives within and across disciplines • Development of training plans and policy for allied health (e.g. clinical supervision across disciplines)
6 • Improving coordination and sharing of resources within and across discipline groups, networks • Forming working relationships with CETI 7
and LHDs • Enhancing use of information technology for networking and communication.
• Increasing the use and access to information technology
Participants identified that specific budget allocation for allied health clinical education and training is
• Identifying talented staff, areas of innovation and excellence required which is prioritised, protected and equitably distributed across the health workforce according
• Improving how the ‘value add’ of allied health is better articulated to the overall health system to need. It was noted that within LHDs there is currently a large percentage of overall budget allocated
• Acknowledging continuing professional development is not just about attending structured courses to mandatory training of which most does not apply specifically to the skill needs of allied health.
and identifying the value of other education and training opportunities including self directed
It was felt that further open and collaborative discussion across disciplines at the LHD and organisational
learning and work based experience.
level regarding the coordination and provision of clinical education and training could be a starting point.
In the future, LHDs should interface with CETI for state wide strategic leadership in clinical education and
training with ongoing input and information exchange between and across metropolitan, regional, rural
and remote LHDs.
Cross discipline/institution collaboration and networking
Participants agreed that within allied health disciplines closer links are required as well as opportunities to
establish relationships and conjoint positions between Health and Universities. Stronger links could also
be forged with medicine, nursing and allied health through the establishment of education and training
committees, forums and communities of practice. It was felt there was opportunity to share information
across allied health disciplines regarding areas of commonality such as supervision, core competencies
and skills in leadership and management, not just for up and coming leaders but for senior management.
Benefits of comprehensive governance structures in evaluation and demonstrating the
“value add” of Allied Health
As a driver of change to enhance governance structures for allied health clinical education and training,
attention should be placed on allied health “becoming better” at monitoring outcomes and articulating
how allied health “value adds” to the overall health system. In particular, it should be demonstrated both
quantitatively and qualitatively how as a group, allied health contributes to reducing clinical risk, improving
the patient/family experience, decreasing length of stay and increasing throughput. Focus should also be
placed on addressing staff morale and retention rates and succession planning to ensure sustainability
and replacement of qualified and experienced allied health professionals as they leave the health system.
Participants believe that attention should be given to the critical assessment of all mandated training in
the context of an overall review of learning and development plans for allied health. Reporting of outcome
and baseline measures was deemed essential for building business cases for enhancements to clinical
education and training for allied health.

6. ALLIED HEALTH CLINICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FUTURE DIRECTIONS CONSULTATION REPORT
Harnessing and sharing resources
Further brainstorming focused on resources, tools, skills and knowledge. Skills and Knowledge
Participants were asked:
Resources
1. Are there gaps in skills and knowledge for allied health? What is needed to bridge these gaps?
1. Think about resources that currently exist for allied health. What do we have? What is common?
2. What process can be undertaken to effectively share information and resources?
What can be adapted?
2. What else is needed? What new resources could be developed? Feedback from participants was grouped into broad themes including leadership and management,
extended scope of practice, development of clinical educator roles, core and common skills and
Personnel: Participants identified that there was scope to better utilise the current specialist
knowledge.
clinicians working at levels 3/4/5/6 as per the award translation process and to create allied health
educator positions in LHDs. Leadership and management: Allied health would benefit from development of leadership and
management skills such as: performance management, supervision, strategic planning, change
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Learning resources: Resources could be developed in the areas of supervision, core competencies
management, complex document development, promotion and marketing. Delegates felt that these
across disciplines and in the clinical education of students.
skills would provide a good foundation for allied health to perform senior clinical and management
Networks and partnerships: Participants felt that allied health could better utilise existing private roles to full capacity and advocate effectively for change and improvements for allied health and
industry/scholarship and sponsorship opportunities. Partnerships with universities could be further broader health service needs.
developed. Successful models of supporting the delivery of clinical education and training could be
Extended scope of practice: Participants felt that training which extends a clinician’s scope of practice
replicated such as within the Child Health Network, and further discipline specific advisory groups
would contribute towards job satisfaction, retention and succession planning in allied health through
with a focus on clinical education could be established. Providing a central place for the sharing
access to advanced clinical practice training (for level 3/4/5 clinicians) with managerial support to
of resources between networks was seen to be critical to information sharing and to minimise
attend and present at conferences and complete masters and doctoral level post graduate education.
8 duplication. 9
Development of clinical educator roles: In addition to the need to develop skills for all senior clinicians
Tools in supervision and teaching, it was felt that designated clinical educators should have access to
1. What tools and methodology should be utilised to enable implementation of education and training to ensure appropriate skills and knowledge are acquired and maintained.
training for allied health?
Core and common skills and knowledge: In addition to specialist discipline specific training, there
2. What are the human and technological barriers that need to be considered when thinking was consensus that core and common skills across professions would support allied health to
about the delivery of education and training for allied health? become a stronger voice within the system. In particular, focus should be placed on general skills and
Training: Allied health professionals should be engaged in education and training through blended knowledge gaps for all clinicians and not just new graduates. Areas for further development include
learning approaches (including online) and educators should be trained and have dedicated time clinical research, producing publications, implementing Evidence Based Practice (EBP), adopting a
to prepare and deliver education and training initiatives. competency based approach to education and training, developing Allied Health Assistants, team
work skills and interprofessional learning.
Information technology (IT): Opportunity exists to harness existing IT resources such as
organisational shared drives, CETI portal/website, shared internet sites, e-learning, social media, To bridge these gaps culture change within allied health is required. Whilst it is important to
multidisciplinary simulation training and associated technology (e.g. webinars, videoconferencing, recognise the unique skills and attributes of individual disciplines, there is a need to break down
camtasia, podcasts, skype and cloud computing). existing discipline specific “silos” and work as a united group. Participants identified an overarching
commitment from NSW Health is required to ensure stakeholder buy-in is achieved (establishment
Barriers: Resistance to change was raised as a key issue in the uptake of new tools (e.g. information
of CETI was considered a positive example).
technology). Participants felt that there is a marked difference between staff competency levels
(different levels of training needed at different times and in regard to IT, user systems and user skills). Participants were asked to consider what processes could be undertaken to effectively share
Protected time, in order to engage in education and training and consistent and equitable access to information and resources. It was identified that information technology support and infrastructure,
technology and physical infrastructure such as hardware, software, speed, distance, remote access, the establishment of LHD education and training committees and identifying opportunities to work
afterhours access and cost sharing for videoconferencing and other technological advances remain interprofessionally are required.
one of the key barriers within NSW Health.

7. ALLIED HEALTH CLINICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FUTURE DIRECTIONS CONSULTATION REPORT
Vision for the future
A vision for the future exercise, where delegates were asked to identify where they would like to
see allied health clinical education and training in five to ten years, unveiled the following vision:
• Diverse career pathways for allied health
• Education and training as core business
• A well educated and informed allied health workforce
• Innovation in the delivery of education and training
• Allied health are recognised for their value and worth within the health system
• A state wide clinical supervision policy supports staff
• Core competencies
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
• Flexible postgraduate university pathways
• Allied health are leaders in clinical education and training
Top Three Long Term Priorities Identified for Allied Health
1. Shared platform for access to information for all allied health professionals and centralised
coordination for clinical education and training
2. Equality and recognition of the value of allied health
3. Effective workload management tools and a common language for workload management for
10 the allied health professions. 11
The Way Forward
The feedback will inform the development of the CETI Allied Health Directorate’s activities over the
next 12 months. Further consultation forums with additional stakeholders are planned.
Allied health professionals play a critical role in prevention, minimising the burden of chronic disease
and improving quality of life for patients. By collaborating with our key stakeholders and the newly
established CETI Allied Health Advisory Committee, the Allied Health Directorate is working to
meet the clinical education and training needs of “staff on the ground” to facilitate improved patient
experience and the delivery of high quality care for the people of NSW.
(Top left) Melissa Welsh and Richard Cheney. (Top right) Grainne O’Loughlin and Christine Tate
(Middle left) Pamela Bloomfield, Patricia Bradd and Kim Nguyen
(Middle right) Danielle Byers, Gaynor Heading, Brett Williams and Melissa Adattini
(Bottom) Presentation by Jacqueline Dominish

8. ALLIED HEALTH CLINICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FUTURE DIRECTIONS CONSULTATION REPORT
Appendix – list of attendees Notes
NAME POSITION ORGANISATION
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Brenda McLeod Chief Allied Health Officer NSW Department of Health ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Patricia Bradd Allied Health Director South Eastern Sydney LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Sue Fitzpatrick Speech Pathology Head of Department Illawarra and Shoalhaven LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Sue Colley A/Area Director, Allied Health South Western Sydney LHD
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Lisa Parcsi A/Area Director, Allied Health Sydney LHD
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Kim Nguyen Director of Allied Health Hunter New England LHD
Christine Tate Allied Health Education and Training Northern Sydney LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Consultant ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Jenny Richardson Area Director, Allied Health Central Coast LHD
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Peter Talbot Manager Dietetics Western Sydney LHD
Brett Williams Area Director, Allied Health Nepean Blue Mountains LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Melissa Welsh Manager, Occupational Therapy Far West LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Richard Cheney Area Allied Health Advisor Western LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Mid Battye Central Sector Coordinator, Chronic Care Murrumbidgee LHD
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
12 and Allied Health 13
Viki Rose Aged Chronic Care Manager Northern NSW LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Rosie Kew Clinical Senior, Occupational Therapy Northern NSW LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Pam Lane Chief Physiotherapist, Coffs Harbour Mid North Coast LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Health Campus
Lou Fox Allied Health Manager Southern NSW LHD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Grainne O’Loughlin Director, Allied Health St Vincent’s Health Network ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Lyn Biviano Chair Allied Health Sydney Children’s Hospitals ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Network
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Margot Brink Senior Social Worker Forensic Mental Health
Speciality Network ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Steven Boyages Chief Executive CETI
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Gaynor Heading General Manager CETI
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Jacqueline Dominish Learning and Teaching Coordinator CETI Allied Health Directorate
Daniella Pfeiffer Learning and Teaching Coordinator CETI Allied Health Directorate ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Linda Cutler Executive Director CETI Rural and Remote Directorate ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Melissa Adattini Management Trainee CETI ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Rob Wilkins Learning and Teaching Coordinator CETI Centre for Learning and
Teaching ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Danielle Byers Learning and Teaching Coordinator CETI Centre for Learning and ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Teaching
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Pamela Bloomfield Program Manager CETI Nursing and Midwifery
Directorate ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Peter Davey Curriculum Developer CETI Medical Directorate, ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Hospital Skills Program

9. NSW Clinical Education
and Training Institute (CETI)
Building 12
Gladesville Hospital
GLADESVILLE NSW 2060
Tel: (02) 9844 6551
Fax: (02) 9844 6544
www.ceti.nsw.gov.au
info@ceti.nsw.gov.au
Post: Locked Bag 5022
GLADESVILLE NSW 1675