Over 18 months, HCA partnered with a regional health district spanning an area the size of the United Kingdom, placing 35 registered nurses and nurse leaders across regional centres and some of the state’s most remote towns.
The district’s challenge was as much geography as vacancy. Its sites stretch across seven local government areas, many classified remote or very remote, ranging from major regional base hospitals to 12-bed facilities in towns of fewer than 3,000 people. Conventional recruitment had not been able to reach or persuade the candidates these communities needed. From late 2023 to early 2025, HCA delivered a sustained recruitment program combining local and international sourcing, government relocation incentives and interim workforce support, so that care continued while permanent capability was built.
Client Overview
The client is a state government health district serving communities spread across an area comparable in size to the United Kingdom. Its network spans regional centres and small rural towns, with many sites classified remote or very remote. Persistent nursing and leadership shortages threatened service continuity in its smallest communities, where a single unfilled role can determine whether a hospital ward stays open.
The Challenge
Workforce shortage in a district this size is a compounding problem. Vacancies spanned registered nursing, nursing management and mental health roles across sites separated by hundreds of kilometres, and every unfilled position increased pressure on the clinicians who remained. The hardest roles were in the smallest places. Attracting experienced nurses, let alone nurse unit managers, to towns of a few thousand people, with 12-bed hospitals and genuinely challenging circumstances, demanded more than job advertisements. It required the reach to find candidates open to relocation and the offer design to make the move worthwhile. And the district could not simply wait for permanent recruitment to succeed. Communities needed continuity of care throughout, which meant interim staffing had to be woven into the same program rather than run as a separate scramble.
At a Glance
- 35 placed Registered nurses and nurse unit managers across the district
- 18 months Sustained program delivery from late 2023 to early 2025
- 20%+ Of filled roles secured through international pathways
- 8–10 weeks Average time-to-fill for permanent roles across the program
The Solution
HCA combined local and international sourcing at scale; drawing on its extensive candidate databases, social media reach and local and international job boards to find nurses genuinely willing to relocate to regional and remote communities.
Spotlight on Continuity While Recruiting
Permanent recruitment takes time; patient care cannot wait for it. Through HCA’s network of travel nurses, the region’s services were supported while permanent candidates were sourced and placed, keeping wards open and rosters safe so that care stayed continuous throughout the 18-month program.
Working closely with the district, HCA identified needs site by site and helped shape offers that made full use of state government relocation incentives; support that proved decisive in placing candidates into the smallest towns, including one with a 12-bed hospital serving a community of around 2,800 people. Delivery ran end to end, from sourcing and screening through interviewing and placement, with HCA actively managing its fees to ensure value for money for the government partner. The program’s anchor was a major regional base hospital spanning medical, maternity, ICU, emergency and mental health services, where 11 registered nurses were placed into a single multifaceted facility. Beyond the base hospital, placements reached deep into the district including nurse unit manager roles and hard to find specialty positions in locations that had struggled to attract candidates for years.
Quality healthcare shouldn’t depend on a postcode.
Impact
- 35 Nurses and Leaders Placed Registered nurses and nurse unit managers placed across the district over 18 months.
- Hard-to-Fill Roles Resolved Long-standing vacancies in remote and very remote locations were identified and filled.
- 20%+ International Pathways Global sourcing expanded the candidate pool well beyond the domestic market.
- Predictable Time-to-Fill Permanent roles filled in 8–10 weeks on average, enabling reliable workforce planning.
- Value for the Public Purse Actively managed fees ensured a cost-effective solution for the government partner.
Conclusion
This partnership shows what sustained, well-designed regional recruitment can achieve where conventional approaches have stalled. HCA was able to place thirty-five staff into regional areas over eighteen months, keeping vital services running in traditionally underserved regions. By blending international reach with local knowledge, incentive-backed offers and interim support, HCA helped the district turn its geography from a barrier into a story candidates could say yes to. It is a model for every health service that believes distance should not determine the standard of care.
Partner with HCA
Supporting rural or remote communities with hard-to fill roles? Talk to HCA’s rural and remote programs team about building a sustainable regional workforce.
