The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on all Australians and significantly on the health and aged care professions, changing the way we work and interact with one another.

To gain a better understanding of the COVID-19 outbreak’s effect on the nursing, midwifery, and personal care workforce across Australia, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, in all states and territories, partnered with the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre to launch a national COVID-19 Workforce Survey.

Director of the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre Professor Marion Eckert, who is leading the research team, said ‘Prior to COVID-19 similar research has shown that health professionals already work under significant workforce pressures, with one study demonstrating that more than half of participants had high levels of stress. Containment measures will need to remain in place for an indeterminate period which means nurses, midwives and personal care workers will continue to face challenging working conditions. The results from the survey will arm us with a heightened level of preparedness to ensure the health system has the appropriate support and resources for the emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing of the workforce during a pandemic.'

The survey has closed and the final report can be viewed here.