Assessing the Public Health System in Delaware

ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

Essential Public Health Service #8:
Assure a Competent Public and Private Health Care Workforce

On February 15, 2006, an Assessment Team including educators, a community health representative, professional licensing representative, a legislator, a member of the Delaware Health Care Commission, and senior Division of Public Health (DPH) management assessed Essential Service #8: Assuring a Competent Workforce. This service includes education, training, development, and assessment of public and private health care workers.

The Assessment Team looked at four activity categories including:

1. planning and implementation;
2. technical assistance and support;
3. evaluation and quality improvement; and
4. resources.

Delaware scored highest in planning/implementation and resources, specifically:

1. individuals in regulated professions meet prescribed competencies;
2. there is a system of life-long learning for the healthcare workforce; and
3. the system invests in state wide recruitment and retention of qualified professionals.

The assessment identified gaps in technical assistance/support and evaluation/quality improvement. Gaps included:

1. limited communication among public health partners on workforce development programs,
2. no systemized assessment of the numbers of healthcare workers with appropriate training,
3. no statewide workforce development plan; and
4. health care workforce development activities are fragmented and this hampers the effective allocation of limited resources.

Evaluation of the Assessment Process:

Members of the Assessment Team enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to discuss issues from a variety of workforce participants, but felt that additional public health system sectors should have been present. There was also a general consensus that it was very helpful to see the global view of public health as a whole system with many partners.

Final Thoughts

Assessment team members shared the following thoughts.

• The knowledge gained will be helpful in planning of academic health related programs.
• The Delaware health system does a number of things well in assuring a competent workforce, however efforts are fragmented and localized.
• Team members enjoyed the opportunity to discuss issues from a variety of workforce participants.
• The process helped broaden my perspective.
• Some sectors of the public health system were not represented.

Planning (Priority Rank – 10)

Delaware does well in determining that education and credentialing are met for regulated health professions. Several DPH programs and the Health Care Commission have conducted assessment of health care personnel but they have been limited in scope. Excellent training exists to enhance needed workforce skills through educational institutions, seminars, conferences, and on-line learning. It was noted that training is limited in leadership and management skills, understanding multiple determinants of health, use of Information Technology in health practice, enhancing technical and professional competencies in health occupations. There is little training in the core public health competencies needed to deliver the essential services including understanding of public health. A major identified is that Delaware does not have a statewide health system workforce development plan.

Technical Assistance and Support (Priority Rank – 6)

Delaware lacks a defined method to facilitate links between state partners and local communities and academic partners to improve educational offerings. There is limited assistance to communities and health system partners in assessing their personal and public health workforces

Evaluation and Quality Improvement (Priority Rank – 10)

Discussion determined that in Delaware there is limited review of the workforce assessment activities to determine if they are adequate. Performance appraisal programs though in existence in various institutions have thus far not been shown to broadly stimulate quality improvement of personal health care an the public health workforce.

Resources (Priority Rank – 10)

The training programs that are in place use competent instructors, are accredited, provide distance learning opportunities, and have good facilities. In-service programs are available to health system personnel. The Delaware health system does not actively manage current workforce development resources, apply existing resources to high priority areas, plan for development of new resources, and seek new sources of funding. This also leads to limited sharing of system wide resources including financial resources to invest in workforce development.

Next Steps:

• Connect to efforts of the Delaware Health Care Commission
• Determine root causes of the gaps in the public health system
• Develop a statewide workforce Development plan
• Determine action steps

• Go back to 2006 Assessment Meetings and Summaries

Last Updated: Wednesday July 11 2007