The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has launched a comprehensive national review of Australia’s aged care system.
Announced at the ANMF’s 17th Biennial National Conference on the Gold Coast yesterday, the review will assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the Aged Care Royal Commission’s recommendations announced in 2021.
The review will serve as a ‘pulse check’ of the aged care sector, underpinned by the insights and experiences of frontline nurses and care workers, said ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler.
In addition to analysing key stakeholder and government reports on the sector’s performance, ANMF members will be asked for their feedback on the key pillars of: staffing (ratios); skill mix; funding; consumer safety; worker safety and clinical safety.
“Despite the damning findings of the Royal Commission and its 148 recommendations over four years ago, ANMF members continue to tell us that their ability to deliver safe, quality care to residents and clients is being compromised by understaffing and unsafe workloads. Too many of them say nothing seems to have changed,” said Ms Butler.
Reports supported by government data clearly showed that many providers across the country were failing to meet their legislated obligations, she said.
“What’s even worse, more troubling and disturbing is that some providers are manipulating the system to avoid genuinely meeting staffing requirements by changing rosters for frontline nurses and direct care workers, including cuts to rostered staffing hours, shift lengths and shift times, particularly night and weekend shifts, and changing workers’ job titles and classifications to include them in mandated care minutes reports. It’s why the delivery of care continues to be compromised in residential aged care facilities.”
This had been coupled with an ongoing failure of some providers to pass on tax payer funded wage increases to their staff, which was not only driving quality staff away from the sector but also risking the health, safety and happiness of the older Australians in their care.
“It also risks undermining the government’s commitment to reform of the sector and its implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations. Most importantly it risks perpetuating the neglect of older people uncovered by the Royal Commission,” said Ms Butler.
“To ensure that does not happen, we need to undertake this urgent ‘pulse check’ of the aged care system, and address these fundamental problems, so we can avoid the need for another Royal Commission in the future.”
The ANMF national survey will inform a new ANMF campaign focused on aged care staffing, funding and workforce planning.
