BACKGROUND

The Pacific Health Ministers at the 9th Pacific Health Ministers Meeting in 2011 acknowledged that ‘the Pacific Island countries and Areas have common health workforce issues and challenges relating to quantity, quality, skill-mix, distribution, retention and reintegration’. Accordingly, it was recommended to encourage ‘Regional development partners, in consultation with relevant national authorities to develop and implement Pacific-wide initiatives including professional competencies and standards and Continuing Professional Development Accreditation framework. In 2017, the 12th Pacific Health Ministers Meeting agreed to ‘explore the most appropriate regional coordination mechanism, including regional regulatory standards, regional accreditation for health professional education programmes, and continuing professional development’.

In 2018, the Directors of Clinical Services recognized: ‘the need for a regional mechanism for nursing and midwifery to provide continuing professional development, capacity building for training, protocols and standards development’. It is mainly because approximately 74% of the Pacific healthcare workforce are nurses and majority of health services are delivered by them, especially in remote and rural regions. Further, majority of the countries have established training institutions for nursing education.   

The Pacific Chief nurses also raised the need to progress the regional partnerships and continued co-operation across undergraduate and postgraduate education, accreditation, CPD and standards development during several meetings, including State of World’s Nursing Report data workshop held in 2019 and series of South Pacific Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers Alliance (SPCNMOA) meetings.

Accordingly, WHO in collaboration with University of Technology Sydney, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development carried out a scoping review of the nursing and midwifery education and regulation in the Pacific Island Countries and Areas. It includes recommendations and a ‘road-map’ for Sub-regional Quality Improvement Program for Nursing in the Pacific and Areas, starting with an identification and mapping of stakeholders and establishment of governance structure as the foundation.

PURPOSE/SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE ACTIVITY

This work aims to support the WHO Division of Pacific Technical Support (DPS) and respective Ministry/ Department of Health, health professional regulatory bodies and associations, education institutions and relevant stakeholders in the Pacific Island Countries and Areas, the contractor will conduct a ‘Stakeholder Analysis and Set-up Governance Structure for Establishing Sub-Regional Quality Improvement Program for Nursing in the Pacific Island Countries and Areas’.  This is one of the outputs contributing towards improving quality of nursing education and regulation with a long-term aim to address shortage of nurses in the Pacific Island Countries and Areas.

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES TO BE CARRIED OUT

In collaboration with the WHO Pacific Health Systems and Policy team and the respective Ministry of Health/ Department of Health, health professional regulatory bodies and associations, education institutions, the consultant will produce the following outputs/deliverables:

• • Stakeholder analysis report.
• • Established governance structure including terms of references for sub-regional Quality Improvement Program for Nursing in PICs and Areas;
• • Agreed activity framework and scope of work between key partners;
• • Agreed scope of the quality improvement program for nursing in the PICs and areas, including staff and resource requirements
• • Prepare a briefing paper for the upcoming Pacific Health Ministers’ Meeting in 2021

METHODS TO CARRY OUT THE ACTIVITY

• • Identify and define stakeholder engagement.
• • Convene (virtual and face-to-face) meetings and consultations with relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to respective Ministries of Health, health professional regulatory bodies and associations, education institutions, Heads of Health, Directors of Clinical Services and relevant partners.
• • Set up a governance structure including terms of references (Board/ Steering Committee/ sub-working committees) in line with The Framework for Pacific Regionalism and/or other Regional Partnership Agreements; building on the existing regional/sub-regional initiatives such as SPCNMOA.
• • Establish strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders and interested countries, including agreed scope of work between key partners.
• • Develop scope of the quality improvement program for nursing in the PICs and areas, including staff and resource requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION

Essential: Master’s level university degree in nursing or health sciences-related field from a university recognized in the International Association of Universities’ Worldwide Database of Higher Education Institutions, Systems and Credentials (WHED). [OR] An institution with a capacity to engage experts with postgraduate qualification in nursing education and regulation.

Desirable: Postgraduate qualification or PhD in nursing education and regulation. [OR] An institution with a capacity to engage experts with PhD in nursing education and regulation.

EXPERIENCE

Essential: Experience in supporting nursing education and regulation in developing countries; and familiar with WHO’s guidelines on health workforce education and regulation, and the Regional Action Agenda on Regulatory Strengthening, Convergence and Cooperation for Medicines and Health Workforce.

Desirable: Experience in supporting nursing education and regulation in the pacific island countries and familiar regional partnership initiatives in the Pacific Island Countries and Areas.

TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

• • Knowledge, experience and expertise in reviewing and developing professional competency standards for nursing at the national level as well as sub-regional or regional level, preferably in the Pacific Island Countries and Areas.
• • Capacity to conceptualize, organize and analyse situations and provide solutions.
• • Communication and negotiation skills. Diplomacy, tact and courtesy.

LANGUAGES

Fluency in English (reading, writing, and speaking).

COMPETENCIES

• • Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• • Communicating in a credible and effective way
• • Producing results
• • Fostering integration and teamwork
• • Moving forward in a changing environment
• • Knowing and managing yourself

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The Expression of Interest should include expected professional fees and required duration, considering above listed deliverables and individual’s qualification and experience.

Submitting a reply to a call for expression of interest for pre-qualification does not automatically guarantee receipt of the solicitation documents when issued. Invitations to Bid or Requests for Proposals and any subsequent purchase order or contract will be issued in accordance with the rules and procedures of WHO.

APPLICATIONS

Qualified and interested specialists should submit their CV {for individual contractors} or Company Profile {for institutional applications} and Expression of Interest {cover letter} to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at < [email protected] > by 1 June 2021. 

The cover letter should outline how their experience and qualifications make them a suitable candidate for this position and should include their proposed daily consultancy fee and availability.

Please use Tender Notice No. 128971 as subject to all submission. Only successful candidates will be contacted.