‘Safe staffing and better pay’: Major changes to rebuild aged care sector begin
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) applauds two significant achievements to rebuild the aged care sector, which will come into effect tomorrow. Legislation to implement Registered Nurse (RN) 24/7 comes into operation, and historic wage increases following the Aged Care Work Value decision, will start to flow through to nurses and carers in the […]
Enrolled Nurse minutes a key pillar of funding for aged care reforms
Enrolled Nurses are a key part of increased funding provided by the Australian Government to ensure all nursing homes have an appropriate mix of RNs, ENs and PCWs/AINs as they meet minimum care minute responsibilities, in line with recommendations made by the landmark Aged Care Royal Commission. But it’s not what some aged care providers […]
Project aims to build new generation of gerontology nurses to work in aged care
The University of Canberra will lead a $2.1 million Commonwealth project aimed at building and sustaining the nursing workforce in aged care settings. The project will have two main educational components: training and support for nurse educators, and clinical placements for second and third-year nursing students in residential aged care. Professor of Gerontological Nursing, Kasia […]
Aged Care Minister outlines ambition to bring sector ‘back from the brink’
“How our nation provides for the final years of a citizen’s life is worthy not only of dedication and dollars but of ambition,” declared Aged Care Minister Anika Wells, in laying out her vision for a better system for older Australians during a National Press Club address in Canberra on Wednesday. Delivering the first ever […]
‘I had to get out’: Enrolled Nurse opens up on leaving aged care sector
After her elderly mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Sue Hewson undertook a care worker course so that she could remain living at home, and to help her father. It included a placement in aged care, a sector she immediately enjoyed and appreciated. So much so, that she quit her job as a bookkeeper to focus […]
Better pay just the first step to ensuring quality care
Better pay just the first step to ensuring quality care
New hotline to report substandard food in nursing homes
Nursing home residents and their families will soon have the ability to report aged care providers for serving substandard meals, with a new food ‘hotline’ headlining a range of measures announced yesterday by the federal government to lift the standard of food and nutrition in the sector. The $12.9 million investment, part of the $36 […]
Distressed and devalued: Aged care workers’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic demanded a rapid response from the aged care workforce, with the unprecedented challenges leading to increased workloads, intensified emotional demands and staff feeling undervalued, a study has found. Seeking to understand aged care worker’s experiences of the pandemic, University of Tasmania researchers interviewed 15 aged care workers from across Australia. Analysis of […]
‘I felt unsafe’: Why I had to stop working in aged care
In 2020, after nearly a decade working in ED, NSW registered nurse Emma McSeveny pivoted into aged care, believing that her broad experience and skillset could bring value to the sector. Within just three years, however, overwhelmed by not enough staff and poor working conditions and wages, she reluctantly made the decision to stop working […]
Taxpayer-funding for aged care must go directly to nurses and care workers – not into providers’ pockets ANMF says
The Albanese Government has announced it will fund the long-awaited 15% pay rise for the aged care workforce. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) welcomed the announcement but the union has expressed bitter disappointment and serious concerns that underpaid nurses and care workers may be denied better wages, because the Government has failed to […]