Enablers and barriers for allied health professionals working in the aged care sector.

Introduction:
Allied health services are a fundamental part of the aged care sector to support functional reablement in older people. However, the growth of the allied health workforce in aged care has not kept up with demand. As such understanding how we can address recruitment and retention challenges is critically important.
Methods:
The aim of this scoping review was to identify the enablers and barriers for allied health professionals to engage in the aged care sector. The review used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Six databases and grey literature were searched, and a thematic analysis was conducted.
Results:
Of the 1369 records screened, 14 studies were identified in the review. Four themes were identified that highlighted the key enablers and barriers of recruitment and retention of allied health professionals in aged care: 1) Supporting clinicians to work in diverse and complex environments; 2) Developing the pipeline to build workforce capacity; 3) Navigating system wide challenges; and 4) Appreciating the added complexity of rural practice.
Discussion:
This review brings together an understanding of the enablers and barriers for allied health professionals to work in the aged care sector. It highlights complexities that are commonly faced particularly with varying funding models and organisational structures, which often don’t align to person centred care.
Conclusion:
Further research on exploring effective strategies to increase and sustain allied health within aged care is required to ensure we have an adequate workforce to meet the needs of an ageing population.