Case Study | Workforce Strategy | Healthcare
Partnering with Northeast Health Wangaratta to Shape the Future of Their Workforce
Ninety Mile Consulting (NMC) is proud to announce the successful completion of the Northeast Health Wangaratta (NHW) Workforce Plan 2025–2028 — a comprehensive, community-grounded strategy designed to attract, develop, and retain the workforce that powers one of regional Victoria’s most essential health services.
NHW serves a vibrant and diverse population of over 90,000 residents across Wangaratta and the broader Central Hume catchment. Delivering quality healthcare to a regional community — one with higher-than-average rates of chronic health conditions, an ageing population, and growing cultural diversity — demands a workforce strategy that is both ambitious and deeply practical. That’s exactly what this plan sets out to deliver.
About Northeast Health Wangaratta
NHW is the sub-regional health service for the Hume region, providing acute, aged care, community, and specialist services across a large geographic footprint. With a workforce of over 1,000 FTE spanning nursing, medical, allied health, administrative, and support services, workforce sustainability is not just an HR priority — it is central to NHW’s ability to fulfil its mission.
Our Approach
NMC delivered the project across four structured phases over approximately three months, working on-site in Wangaratta alongside the NHW leadership team. Our approach combined rigorous data analysis with genuine human engagement — because the best workforce strategies are built with people, not just about them.
Phase 1 — Current State Review
- Conducted one-on-one consultations with clinical and executive leads across all departments, covering nursing, medical, allied health, administrative, and support services.
- Deployed an organisation-wide staff survey to capture frontline perspectives at scale, achieving strong cross-departmental representation.
- Undertook a detailed workforce data analysis, mapping current FTE distribution, role mix, and workforce composition across all labour categories.
Phase 2 — Future State Analysis
- Synthesised consultation, survey, and data findings to identify key workforce themes and challenges.
- Benchmarked NHW’s workforce practices against comparable sub-regional health services to ground recommendations in sector best practice.
Phase 3 — Co-Design Workshops
- Facilitated staff workshops open to all role levels and service areas, validating findings and co-designing practical solutions.
- Ran an Executive Leadership Roundtable to review consolidated findings, refine strategic priorities, and co-develop NHW’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
Phase 4 — Develop the Workforce Plan
- Developed a three-year strategic workforce roadmap structured across four pillars: Engagement, Development, Leadership, and Safety & Inclusion.
- Crafted a tailored EVP and prioritised action plan to guide implementation across the 2025–2028 period.
What We Heard
Across every engagement activity, a consistent set of themes emerged. NHW staff are deeply committed to their community and their colleagues. They are also navigating real pressures — stretched middle management, inconsistent access to professional development, recruitment and retention challenges in hard-to-fill roles, and the ongoing legacy of COVID-19 on team structures and morale.
These weren’t just challenges — they were also a clear signal of appetite for change. Staff at every level were generous with their ideas and optimistic about the future. That energy shaped the plan.
The Outcome
The NHW Workforce Plan 2025–2028 is now live and publicly available. It provides NHW with a clear, actionable framework to build a workforce that is equipped, engaged, and ready to deliver for the Wangaratta community for years to come.
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See the plan on NHW’s website: Northeast Health Wangaratta — Workforce Plan 2025–2028
A Word of Thanks
It has been a genuine privilege to work alongside the NHW leadership and staff team. The openness, energy, and commitment to their workforce that the NHW team brought to every stage of this process made this one of the most rewarding projects we’ve delivered.
We wish NHW every success in bringing the plan to life.
Is Workforce Planning on Your Radar?
If your organisation is thinking about workforce strategy — whether that’s a full strategic plan, a targeted review, or simply a conversation about where to start — we’d love to connect. NMC works with health services, community organisations, and local government across Victoria to build workforce strategies that are grounded in evidence and built around people.
Get in touch with glen@ninetymileconsulting.com.au to learn more.
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