|
|
Report Summary
To assist the Ministry of Health with the planning and decision making to implement the generic public health competencies (GPHCs), the Public Health Association of New Zealand (PHA) commissioned Strategic Policy Consulting Ltd to estimate the cost of implementing the GPHCs.
The estimated costs are of a ‘ballpark’ nature as there are a number of important undetermined factors impacting on the GPHCs work. These factors include: the size of the existing public health workforce in different professional sub-groups; the extent to which different sub-groups in the existing public health workforce require training to achieve the generic competencies; the approach to be adopted to deliver training and assessment to those requiring it and the magnitude of costs arising from adopting that approach.
The analysis begins by exploring the possible approaches that could be adopted to implement the GPHCs, and then recommends a multipronged approach. The recommended primary approach is a ‘sector-based in-house’ model, linked to the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.
A 60 credit qualification, the National Certificate in Public Health, would be registered by an Industry Training Organisation with New Zealand Qualifications Authority, and public health personnel with relevant expertise would be trained as trainers and workplace assessors, to deliver regionally-based training in the workplace to Public Health Unit and NGO staff that requires it. Complementing this, polytechnics and other tertiary providers may also choose to offer courses which enabled achievement of the National Certificate in Public Health.
The likely additional direct financial costs of implementing the primary approach over a six-year time frame (2008/09 – 2013/14) are estimated at between $2.41 million - $3.67 million to provide upskilling to between 63 – 78% of the existing public health workforce. In addition, there would be reductions in public health outputs during this period as a consequence of the time involved in training by both trainers and trainees which could not be devoted to their usual work. This investment should yield benefits in subsequent years in terms of greater achievement of public health outcomes.
|