Embedding rural voices: Co-designing workforce strategies to support healthy ageing in regional communities

Background: Australia’s rural communities face critical shortages in the health and aged care workforce, disproportionately impacting older adults seeking to age in place. Aim: This project aims to co-design rural workforce solutions to support community-dwelling older adults through a person-centred, partnership-driven approach. Methods: A scoping review identified limited workforce availability, fragmented service integration, and constrained access to care and social supports as key barriers. Guided by these findings, Australian Bureau of Statistics census data and targeted hand-searching were used to identify towns meeting project criteria. A consultative process selected two towns. Rural health providers and community representatives from these areas participated in focus groups to explore local workforce needs and enablers. Key findings: Focus groups confirmed the importance of local relationships, flexible workforce models, and community pride as critical enablers of workforce retention. Plans are underway to conduct a co-design workshop and seek additional funding to translate findings into action. Significance: This project champions rural voices and community leadership as essential drivers of workforce innovation, system resilience, and healthier ageing across regional Australia.