PeopleIN health brands ease growing pains in nation’s capital

NNA’s strategy to increase its presence through an expanded permanent recruitment offering comes to fruition with new ACT Government panel appointment.

Canberra is Australia’s fastest growing capital city, with nearly half a million people now calling the nation’s capital home. With that figure forecast to nearly double by 2060, demand for healthcare services is set to balloon in the coming decades.

The selection of PeopleIN’s Network Nursing Agency’s (NNA) on the ACT Government’s Recruitment and Immigration Agency panel, means we’re ideally placed to meet growing demand from Canberra Health Services (CHS) for high quality internationally sourced health sector workers.

Established in 1997, NNA has built an enviable reputation through supplying clients with employment solutions in a locum, contract and permanent capacity. Comprehensive experience in the nursing industry has allowed it to develop market leading recruitment processes and procedures, providing clients with a strong support base for their routine recruitment needs, as well as during periods when urgent support is required.

Selection on the panel signals a turning point for the NNA business.

From an allocations agency, with a strong track record of providing agency nurses for short term placements, it represents an activation of the mid-term strategy to increase presence through an expanded permanent recruitment offering. This expansion of services validates NNA's strategic decision to provide clients with a total workforce solution, be it for an emergency replacement on a single shift basis, or a long-term candidate engagement.

CHS delivers acute, primary and community-based health services to the ACT’s population of approximately 454,000 people and a further 200,000 residents of the surrounding Southern NSW Local Health District. Current facilities and services include two major hospitals, six community health centres, five walk-in treatment centres and community health services for early childhood, youth and women’s health, dental, mental health and drug and alcohol services.

And that infrastructure, and the roles needed to service it, is set to grow enormously. Next year the Canberra Hospital Expansion, the largest ever healthcare infrastructure undertaken by the ACT Government, will be complete. It will deliver 156 new inpatient beds, 22 operating room and more treatment spaces. And even that project is dwarfed by the $1 billion northside hospital, construction for which will begin mid-decade.

With completion of these new and expanded facilities comes a need for qualified and experienced clinicians, nurses, allied health professionals and administrators to support delivery of their services. And, with well publicised skills shortages domestically, there’s a growing movement towards increasing the rate at which these skills are imported from overseas.

NNA’s recruitment scope and capacity increases exponentially through its access to the knowledge, networks and candidate databases of the 24 other recruitment brands within the PeopleIN Group. Australia’s largest ASX listed talent solutions business, PeopleIN operates across a wide range of sectors including: Healthcare, Disability Services, Child Protection, Technology, Mining, Education, and Industrial services. Our brands have a proud history of providing innovative workforce solutions for thousands of organisations and 55 percent of the Group’s operations are in the Healthcare sector.

While NNA is traditionally a nursing recruitment brand, the recent establishment of our overseas facing recruitment offering, You+Aus, has allowed the organisation to expand its scope to clinicians in a number of disciplines. It has developed a strong pipeline and more than 7,000 candidates from the UK’s healthcare sector have engaged with You+Aus about opportunities to live and work in Australia. 170 candidates plan to move here in the next 12 months, while some have already arrived and are immersing themselves in the Australian lifestyle.

Perigon Group, founded in January 2010, is another of the brands which comprise the PeopleIN Group. It is a leading Professional Services recruitment firm, boasting thirteen consecutive years of growth and three successive listings on the AFR Fast 100 List. Leaning into Perigon Group’s expertise arms NNA with the standing and know-how to attract high-calibre professionals and capability to source for senior and executive level roles.

Due to our years of experience operating as a sponsoring employer, our organisation has been able to obtain a deep understanding of international recruitment and the migration hurdles that can impact on a candidate’s ability to perform at their best. NNA has facilitated the settlement and integration of hundreds of overseas workers in Australia and we’re committed to setting them up for success. Initiatives such as assigning cultural "buddies," providing induction materials and organising community events contribute to a supportive environment, aiding candidates to find their footing in a new country.

This institutional knowledge of local recruitment, in conjunction with the significant international recruitment offering fostered over the last 12 months, has allowed NNA to significantly increase its overall offering to clients. With the combined knowledge of the PeopleIN group of brands supporting this initiative, NNA is uniquely positioned to provide CHS with a significant volume of highly qualified candidates, while also providing those individuals with a fantastic platform for success and their own career progression.

Through strategic positioning on the ACT Government's panel, collaborative efforts with Perigon Group, and innovative approaches to international and domestic recruitment, NNA is well-equipped to support the evolving healthcare demands in Canberra. As a key player within the PeopleIN Group, NNA remains committed to providing holistic workforce solutions, ensuring Canberra Health Services receives optimal support for its growing healthcare needs.