Doctors deliver blueprint to boost Queensland's medical workforce
After six months of development, AMA Queensland has released its road map to build the health system workforce Queensland needs.
AMA Queensland has released a strong, sensible and achievable plan to chart a course to a bigger and better medical workforce.
President Dr Nick Yim says the AMA Queensland Workforce Working Group Action Plan was the result of six months of intense research and development by professionals from both the private and public health sectors, encompassing a range of disciplines from general practice to emergency medicine and surgical specialties.
“Governments want solutions to attract and retain doctors, and our Workforce Working Group has delivered,” he said.
“This comprehensive plan sets out how to ensure training pathways, career opportunities and workplace culture bring doctors into the system and get them to where they’re needed most.
“We know the Queensland Government will be releasing its own needs-based workforce plan in the coming months and we hope to see our action plan recommendations in it.”
The Workforce Working Group Action Plan covers six key areas:
- The health system - this creates the ecosystem in which doctors work, and it must be fit-for-purpose for the needs of patients and doctors into the future.
- The role of the doctor - how it was, how it is now and what it needs to become to continue delivering the healthcare patients deserve.
- The medical training pipeline - where we attract and grow the next generation.
- General practice - the backbone of our health system, providing world-class preventive and early intervention health services for the entire community, from the cradle to the grave.
- Public hospitals - that provide Queenslanders with life-saving tertiary services and essential training grounds for our medical graduates.
- Private hospitals - that ensure patients and doctors have healthcare and workplace choice and encourage innovation.
Dr Yim said the action plan includes recommendations to improve the health system overall, clearly define the role of the doctor and reform the medical training pipeline to secure our future medical leaders.
"Doctors have been calling for some of the solutions for years — things like a national health workforce planning agency to tie training numbers to community need.
"Other recommendations involve innovative approaches to medicine, such as virtual training supervision and a radical redefinition of the core role of doctors.
"If we are going to deploy our doctors efficiently, they must be working at the top of their scope of practice and not completing tasks that could be done by someone — or something — else.
"Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff (GROSS) can also improve both productivity and job satisfaction for doctors no matter their health setting.
"The medical workplace is evolving rapidly, and our health services must move with it.
"Our regional areas also need more generalist practitioners to build the flexible and adaptable workforce needed in country medicine.
"It is time the government and profession worked together to secure the medical workforce Queenslanders need now and into the future.
“I thank the members of our Workforce Working Group for their vision and dedication, and I look forward to promoting this action plan over coming months.”
Background
AMA Queensland’s Workforce Working Group convened from January to June 2025 to develop policy proposals that would help train, attract and retain health workers.
Members of the roundtable included specialists in general practice, emergency medicine, psychiatry, urology, orthopaedic surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery and representation for doctors in training.
Members of the group had extensive experience in medical training at the university and college level, industrial relations, private practice ownership (general practice and private hospitals) and medical leadership, including clinical directors.
The Queensland government has pledged to deliver 46,000 additional health workers by 2032. Health Minister Tim Nicholls has indicated the government’s needs-based plan to attract and retain doctors and other medical professionals will be released before the end of 2025.
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