The Australian Productivity Commission recently identified under-utilisation of the professional competencies of staff as an area of concern for the Australian health workforce.
It has become apparent that there are service over-laps, and that staff allocation must be evidence-based and focused on the needs of the population serviced rather than continuing with traditional areas and modes of service. Managing staff costs has emerged as a major area of focus. As health care increasingly relies on expensive technologies and drugs, governments are under mounting pressure to find ways to contain costs. Health care worldwide is a large and expensive industry for which there are high consumer expectations.
