A culture of continuous improvement is key to building a cancer care workforce that is modern, sustainable, agile, and able to work at the top of their scope of practice.

Thoughtful investment in professional development will ensure future capabilities are met while maximising the professional experiences of practitioners and driving up retention rates. Effective professional development will benefit from strong collaboration with the sector including peak body organisations, education and training bodies, and across different jurisdictions. It is important to note that ‘all cancer care practitioners’ refers to the broader workforce of all practitioners who may engage with people affected by cancer, not just those involved in cancer services.

Activities to achieve this 5-year action may include:

• identifying opportunities for cancer care practitioners to work at the top of their scope of practice (for example, supporting dual specialisation to respond to more complex needs, such as geriatrics courses within oncology training and new models of care)
• training and enabling cancer care practitioners to take a multidisciplinary approach, where teams across services and sectors collaborate to provide more holistic cancer care (including with allied health, consumer representatives, and supportive care such as psychosocial, social, and financial counselling)
• exploring cross-training opportunities as a potential strategy to address workforce gaps. For example, training GPs in palliative care, psychosocial care, or targeted screening and follow-ups for at-risk consumers. Similarly, cross-training could provide cancer care skills to nurses, pharmacists, and allied health practitioners, for example training nurses in skin cancer checks
• designing professional development programs that prioritise system-level change, leveraging partnerships across the cancer care continuum where suitable
• introducing accreditation and mandated standards for professional development, targeting specific capability gaps (for example survivorship, palliative care, genomic testing and personalised care, and complex care and communication). This will drive consistency across professional development opportunities, including between jurisdictions
• establishing training pathways for emerging capabilities, for example, in cancer genomics, new skills include interpreting the results of genetic testing and translating this into personalised care
• addressing the needs of the workforce to improve job satisfaction, wellbeing, and mental health (for example providing clarity on career promotion and progression pathways)
• designing professional development opportunities that are available to practitioners at all career stages, from entry to practice to highly experienced specialists.

Professional development of the workforce should be connected to models of care, with models of care driving the workforce. Specific attention is also required on enablers such as use of non-clinical staff and technical solutions. This action should additionally align with the National Medical Workforce Strategy 2021–2031[156] and other state and territory care and health workforce strategies.