Aged care nurses and carers have taken their campaign for mandated staffing ratios to Canberra, warning that workforce shortages and poor compliance with existing care requirements continue to put residents and workers at risk.
Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association joined colleagues from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation at Parliament House to launch the national campaign, “Australia needs care you can count on”.
NSWNMA general secretary Michael Whaites said recent federal reforms had improved parts of the system but had not resolved the problems confronting workers and residents.
“The aged care sector has seen some improvement in recent years, but it is far from being fixed,” Mr Whaites said.
The unions are calling for mandated staffing ratios and an appropriate mix of qualified staff, along with stronger safeguards against workplace violence and clearer reporting on how providers spend public funding.
“In the face of Care Minutes not being complied with, we need ratios to deliver better staffing and skill mix in aged care, safer workplaces to prevent workplace violence, and greater transparency of taxpayer funding. These are all practical reforms that can help to build an aged care sector that works now and into the future,” Mr Whaites said.
“Older Australians, and their families, deserve to have care they can count on, and aged care workers deserve safe workplaces, where they have the support and time to provide that care.”
The unions are calling for mandated staffing ratios and an appropriate mix of qualified staff, along with stronger safeguards against workplace violence and clearer reporting on how providers spend public funding
The campaign follows an ANMF national survey of frontline aged care workers, which raised concerns about understaffing, workplace violence and the accountability attached to billions of dollars in government funding.
NSWNMA assistant general secretary Katrina Bough said requirements for a registered nurse to be on site around the clock and minimum care minutes had been important reforms, but failures in compliance were weakening their effect.
“Historic reforms such as RN 24/7 and minimum care minutes were designed to lift standards in aged care, but currently there are serious gaps in compliance which risk undermining it all,” Ms Bough said.
She accused some providers of avoiding their responsibilities through inaccurate reporting, loosely defined positions and staff reductions.
“Billions of taxpayer dollars have been invested into aged care, yet some providers are still finding ways to manipulate their obligations by misreporting care minutes, creating vague hybrid roles, or cutting staff to save costs,” Ms Bough said.
“Nurses and carers are continuing to report unsafe workloads to us, as well as ongoing staffing shortages across the sector, which is why we are participating in this national campaign.”
The unions want the care minutes system replaced with staffing ratios based on the number and needs of residents. They are also seeking standardised public reporting of providers’ finances and their use of government funding.
“We need to replace care minutes with mandated staffing ratios aligned with evidence-based benchmarks. To strengthen accountability and transparency, we need to standardise the public reporting of aged care providers’ financial performance and the use of taxpayer funding,” Ms Bough said.
“Our aged care members are committed to delivering high-quality, dedicated care to their residents, but too often they are stretched beyond safe limits.”
Ms Bough said responsibility for improving the system extended beyond the workforce, adding: “It’s up to all of us to finally fix aged care.”
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