Skip to main content RSS Info Close Search Facebook Twitter
Location
Category
Providers / Vacancies
Feedback

Aged care ratios: the right call?

After months of lobbying and advocating, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) is stepping up its efforts to encourage the introduction of staffing ratio laws for aged care by announcing plans to launch a national public awareness campaign.

<p>The ANMF is calling for nursing and carer ratios in aged care (Source: Shutterstock)</p>

The ANMF is calling for nursing and carer ratios in aged care (Source: Shutterstock)

The decision to launch the campaign, which will call for ratios to be made law “now”, was unanimously passed at a meeting in Brisbane this week, with the union stating there will be six voices of the campaign including a registered nurse, assistant in nursing, aged care resident, family member, doctor and community supporter.

Assistant Federal Secretary, Annie Butler, says the public campaign will be about the experiences of real people in the aged care system, and why they say staffing is inadequate and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Ms Butler adds that the ANMF’s unanimous support for a new national campaign sends a strong message to the country’s politicians, that it’s time to fix aged care for the sake of the elderly nursing home residents and their families.

“Enough is enough,” Ms Butler says.

“The severe understaffing and under regulation of aged care facilities means elderly Australians in almost every community are not receiving the treatment they need.

“Nurses and care staff are struggling because there is simply not enough of them, and yet last year, owners of aged care facilities pocketed over $1 billion in profits while cutting staff and nursing hours for residents.”

Staffing ratios in the aged care industry have also been highlighted this week in a joint statement released by industry peak bodies, Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) and Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA).

Chief Executive Officers from both peak bodies, Sean Rooney (LASA) and Pat Sparrow (ACSA), took focus on quality standards in the sector, noting that those standards are “intrinsically linked” to the industry’s workforce.

“We believe the ongoing debate around staffing in aged care facilities would be better served by focusing on the quality of outcomes via optimising models of care for older Australians, rather than mandating staffing ratios,” they say.

“The basis for deciding on staffing levels and their skill mix needs to be driven by the actual needs of individual residents.”

The ANMF’s Ms Butler further highlights that Australia mandates ratios in childcare, which she says is “only fair and reasonable”, but notes the lack of one in the aged care industry.

“In aged care, it’s a very different story, where just one registered nurse may be responsible for managing the care of more than 100 residents,” she explains.

“There are no mandated ratios for aged care and no laws to ensure our elderly get the care they need.

“Our aged care system has been ignored by governments for far too long and today the ANMF calls on federal politicians to stand up for older Australians and support making ratios law in aged care.”

Share this article

Read next

Subscribe

Subscribe to our Talking Aged Care newsletter to get our latest articles, delivered straight to your inbox
  1. Who says your age should limit your dreams?
  2. Data from a recently released report highlights a concerning...
  3. With an ageing and growing population, data from the...
  4. Approximately 411,000 Australians are estimated to be living...
  5. How could you benefit from attending university as an older...
  6. Fueling your body with healthy foods as you age could help...

Recent articles

  1. Feeling overwhelmed this festive season? Free helplines are...
  2. Are you experiencing unexplained symptoms such as tiredness?...
  3. Do you know how to reduce your risk of being scammed?
  4. Who says your age should limit your dreams?
  5. How did residents celebrate their aged care precinct’s...
  6. Why is the passing of the Aged Care Act Bill so important for...
  7. What is the expected impact of the changes to the upcoming...
  8. Recently published retirees prove that it’s never too...
  9. In the last decade, people aged 65 years or older were...
  10. What caused an increase in the number of calls to advocacy...
  11. Managing your medications may seem difficult but it...
  12. Dementia Australia’s free information sessions can help...
  1. {{ result.posted_at | timeago }}

Sorry, no results were found
Perhaps you misspelled your search query, or need to try using broader search terms.
Please type a topic to search
Some frequently searched topics are "dementia", "elderly" etc
Close