In his 10-Point Plan for Health and Care in the 2020s, Lord Darzi and his colleagues wrote, “Good health is the purest form of wealth.”

While anyone who has suffered from health problems will attest to his accuracy, it’s also a major source of wealth in the more traditional sense of the word, with healthcare listed as one of the top wealthiest industries in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada.

Contemporary challenges faced by health systems include the rising health spend by both governments and consumers (which has been driven by a universally ageing population), digital and technological disruption, and the burden of chronic diseases like obesity, dementia and diabetes.

Despite these challenges, consumers have greater expectations than ever to receive “the right care, at the right time, by the right team,” all without compromising on their household budget.

Concomitantly, technological innovations, particularly in regards to drug development, automation, digital health and Artificial Intelligence (AI), are supporting the development of new models of care, including 24/7 clinical support and real-time and predictive analytics.

What will the healthcare workforce of the future look like?

While the demand for specialised workers in the healthcare industry is expected to keep rising given the world’s ageing population, occupations within the industry built around manual and basic cognitive skills are expected to decline.

A recent McKenzie discussion paper considered other important skill shifts in the medical/clinical and administration occupations, including:

• The ability to adapt and engage in continuous learning
• Social and emotional skills, including leadership, entrepreneurship and negotiation skills
• Higher cognitive skills, including complex information processing and interpretation, quantitative and statistical skills and critical thinking

The ability to understand the complexities and interdependencies of the health industry will help society to bridge competency gaps and foster engagement and collaboration across healthcare professions. This progression will be vital in improving public health outcomes, and allow us to deliver effective and efficient services.

Respond innovatively to challenges of the future

Murdoch University is offering a Graduate Certificate on Health Administration, Policy and Leadership on FutureLearn which will help students develop effective leadership and management skills, in addition to an understanding of the economics and governance of the health sector.