September 2024

Welcome to the latest edition of the 2024 On the Horizon newsletter from the Future Workforce Unit (FWU). On the Horizon provides a snapshot of the key trends and developments that have the potential to shape and impact our future workforce, workplace and ways of working.

On the Horizon is part of the Focus on the Future Workforce Initiative, which aims to support the health system to ensure a resilient and digitally enabled workforce that can adapt to the changes in the system caused by technology and other disruptions. By focusing on not just the now, but also the future, NSW Health can ensure that we meet the needs of the community now and into the future.

Please note that the opinions shared in On the Horizon are those of the respective authors, and may not reflect the views of FWU or NSW Health.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the articles may contain images of people who have passed away.

“So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

This month, R U OK? called on everyone to ask R U OK? Any Day. Recent research commissioned by R U OK? found that 90% of people who are regularly asked if they are okay feel more supported, connected and cared about. Workplace wellbeing plays a large role in promoting and maintaining our mental health. In the recently released NSW Health Culture and Staff Experience Framework, one of the nine Culture and Staff Experience Levers is wellbeing. Workplace wellbeing looks like dedicating time to check in on how staff are coping and asking what barriers you can help remove, making time for social conversations, and encouraging staff to schedule their leave. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to become familiar with the framework to support a positive staff experience and workplace that brings out the best in everyone.

Have you thought about the nature of work in the future – the who, where and how of it? We are excited to announce that the Ministry of Health (Future Workforce Unit), has partnered with UNSW Medicine and Health and the UNSW International Centre for Future Health Systems for an inaugural event that will explore the future of healthcare and the workforce in Australia. The event, MedConnect | The Future Health Workforce: Who, Where, and How? will be held on Wednesday 23 October 2024 at 5:30pm at the John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW, Kensington, Sydney. Both in person and virtual offerings are available. Register now to secure your spot!

With the significant cool change after soaring temperatures broke late-winter records, we thought it would be timely to reshuffle our podcast episodes and kick off Series 6 with Episode 2: Climate action for future health and our workforce with Dr Kimberley Humphrey Emergency Physician and Climate Change Lead at South Australia Health. Mark your calendars – the episode will be released this coming Wednesday 2 October 2024.

In this month's edition of On the Horizon, we are exploring a range of signals including what we can learn from other healthcare systems in digital transformation, how AI is enhancing bioacoustics and diagnostics and what the challenges in Australia’s private healthcare sector could mean for NSW Health. I invite you, as you sift through these trends, to use the questions included to prompt further conversations with your peers to explore what these trends could mean for the future, today.

- Tamara Lee

Director, Future Workforce

What can we learn from other healthcare systems in digital transformation?

As healthcare systems around the world evolve, there is much to learn from others. So, what can we learn about successful – and unsuccessful – efforts to enhance our efficiency in transformational change?

One example is the progress toward predictive and precision medicine in Singapore, which is set to play a larger role in its healthcare landscape. While precision and predictive medicine is not new to NSW Health, advancements in technology and data analytics are enhancing the potential for success for some faster than others.

With advanced data tools facilitating whole genome sequencing and providing comprehensive insights into individuals' behavioural and social health, healthcare systems can now efficiently collect and analyse vast amounts of data. This capability yields valuable insights for disease prevention and management. In Singapore, the national data exchange platform, TRUST, enhances this effort by enabling the secure sharing of anonymised health-related research and real-world data among public institutions and across the public and private sectors for research purposes.

Another notable example is an AI-powered virtual scribe which is being trialled at Gold Coast Health outpatient departments. This innovative solution, developed by start-up Lyrebird Health, employs "ambient listening" technology to automate notetaking and the creation of clinical documents. By combining voice-to-text capabilities with AI, the virtual scribe could save clinicians critical time, allowing them to focus more on patient care rather than paperwork. As the Single Digital Patient Record (SDPR) is rolled out across NSW Health, and with Sunoh.ai's recent announcement of full integration with Epic, could we be closer to the ambient listening technology than we think?

If we’re not “reinventing the wheel”, how can we learn from other healthcare systems, sectors or organisations? How might connections, partnerships, or collaborations support information sharing?

“I hear you are sick”: How AI is enhancing bioacoustics and diagnostics

Imagine if patients could cough into a phone and get a diagnosis. Well, AI is enhancing bioacoustics to gather health insights from the sounds humans make.

Different sounds, such as coughs, speech and breaths produce acoustic signals that contain important health information. Recently, Google announced a collaboration with Salcit Technologies in India, a healthcare company leveraging AI to analyse cough sounds and assess lung health. Salcit is exploring how Google’s HeAR model can enhance its bioacoustics capabilities, particularly in the screening, diagnosis, monitoring, and management of tuberculosis (TB) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

In another bioacoustics initiative, Google is exploring models based on ultrasound for early detection of breast cancer at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. This technology has the potential to enhance lesion detection, with plans for a global rollout aimed at providing free breast cancer screenings for priority populations.

Neither of Google’s models are yet near commercialisation, however, sound-based generative AI systems have the potential to make health screening more accessible, affordable, and scalable.

Looking to the future, how can healthcare professionals adapt their skills to effectively interpret and act on insights from AI-driven bioacoustics analysis? Could this enhance virtual care capacity insights for respiratory care professionals for example? What training will be necessary for healthcare workers to implement these technologies effectively? What role should healthcare professionals play in validating the findings produced by AI systems in bioacoustics?

Private hospitals on shaky ground: What could this mean for NSW Health?

A recent article in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) highlights the financial difficulties confronting Australia’s private hospital sector. The article reveals that rising costs and wages, along with a decline in patient numbers, have led many of the country’s 650 private hospitals to operate at a loss. As a result, the article warns of potential further closures in the sector.

So, what could the potential closure of private hospitals mean for the public health system in NSW? By understanding possible scenarios, we can better anticipate future shifts in workforce supply and demand, as well as changes in community health needs. Let’s take a look at the potential outcomes:

Increased demand for public services: With private hospitals potentially becoming less viable, more patients may turn to the public system for care, such as elective surgeries. This could result in longer wait times and decreased access to services.
Reduced choice for patients: Individuals with private health insurance may find their options for treatment limited. Those with chronic conditions might experience greater challenges, facing possible delays in surgery and being redirected to emergency departments.
Job losses and opportunities: While closures of private hospitals could lead to job losses in that sector, it may also create opportunities to attract talent to the public healthcare system.

This scenario could be further exacerbated by additional factors, such as the low uptake of private health insurance among younger individuals, influenced by cost-of-living pressures.

So, how can we navigate this complex issue? What workforce opportunities and challenges lie ahead? How can we prepare NSW Health to benefit from potential opportunities while mitigating challenges? What other opportunities should we be ready for as new technology makes shorter stays and home care more viable? Could public-private partnerships offer solutions to the looming challenges caused by the financial difficulties facing private healthcare?