A group of aged care nurses and carers from across New South Wales have travelled to Parliament House in Canberra, calling on the federal government to introduce mandated staffing ratios into the aged care sector.
Fed up with the ongoing aged care crisis, members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) joined with counterparts from across the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) to launch a national campaign.
NSWNMA General Secretary, Michael Whaites, said the ‘Australia needs care you can count on’ campaign will spotlight systemic issues that continue to impact the care nurses and carers can provide to older Australians.
“The aged care sector has seen some improvement in recent years, but it is far from being fixed,” said Mr Whaites.
“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.
“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 campaign follows the recent ANMF national survey, which highlighted the critical issues facing frontline aged care workers. The sector continues to battle systemic understaffing, increasing workplace violence, and a lack of accountability for billions in government funding.
NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary, Katrina Bough, said it was imperative the federal government took the necessary steps to ensure the aged care sector is high-performing and puts the care of older Australians first.
“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,” said Ms Bough.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“Our aged care members are committed to delivering high-quality, dedicated care to their residents, but too often they are stretched beyond safe limits.
“It’s up to all of us to finally fix aged care,” Ms Bough concluded.
