news
New blueprint for aged care
workforce
A new taskforce is developing
an industry-driven strategy to
recruit and grow the future
aged care workforce.
By Dallas Bastian
W
e exist to inspire people to
want to care, enable people
to properly care and enhance
life through care. Because how we care
for our ageing is a reflection of who we are
as a nation.”
This is the vision for the aged care
industry set out in the Aged Care
Workforce Taskforce’s recently released
blueprint, called ‘A matter of care –
a strategy for Australia’s aged care
workforce’.
The Taskforce was set up to develop
an industry-driven workforce strategy to
grow and sustain the workforce needed
for the future. It sought input from
representational bodies and thousands
of people, including providers, aged care
workers, and consumers and their families.
“In undertaking our work, we uncovered
some inescapable truths that impact on
how the community views aged care and
… how the industry sees itself,” Taskforce
chair Professor John Pollaers wrote in his
foreword. “It is critical that we shift these
views and attitudes if true transformation of
the workforce is to occur.”
As Australia needs to just about triple
its aged care staff by 2050, Wyatt said,
“we must make caring a career of choice,
with clear professional pathways, high
community appreciation and strong
self-respect”.
COTA Australia welcomed the
suggestion to lift the profile and status of
the industry and workforce, and supported
in principle the 14 strategic actions areas
outlined in the report.
Chief executive Ian Yates said the
peak was particularly pleased to see
recommendations to better reflect the
value and contribution of personal care
workers and nurses by improving their
current pay deficiencies, identifying the
appropriate skills mix of staff in a facility,
and developing new career paths so
workers can stay in aged care throughout
their careers.
“Older Australians constantly tell us that
staff attitudes and skills are one of the most
important aspects of aged care to them,”
Yates said.
“Ensuring we can recruit and retain the
most dedicated, highest skilled and most
empathetic staff is critical to continuing
to deliver the very best quality care to
Australians in later life.”
Aged & Community Services Australia
(ACSA) chief executive Pat Sparrow said
the blueprint correctly identifies that
attracting and retaining the right staff
is going to be critical to tackling the
workforce challenge.
“We will work with government to
implement the practical suggestions for
how industry can make aged care a career
of choice, including for young people.”
Sparrow was also pleased to see that the
needs of remote workers and services were
highlighted, and the Industry Accord on
the Remote Aged Care Workforce (remote
accord) was agreed.
The report read: “During consultations,
remote aged care organisations
consistently told the taskforce, ‘we need
a united voice’ and ‘we are different to
mainstream aged care’.
“It has become clear that there is value in
recognising remote aged care as a separate
part of the system that requires tailored,
systematic and programmatic solutions.”
Wyatt said the report was developed with
the sector and, as such, the sector “needs
to own its implementation”.
“To ensure the momentum for workforce
reform created by the Taskforce’s landmark
work is maintained, the Government will
support [Pollaers] to work with industry to
help the sector implement the strategy,”
he said.
Pollaers believes the strategy can be
executed in one to three years, and said
doing so will then position the industry for
the next four to seven years.
“The execution of this strategy will better
equip and enable the aged care workforce
to support older people to live well,” he
said. “A matter of care is for all Australians,
because the way we care for our ageing is
a reflection of who we are as a nation. How
we care says who we are.”
The fourteen strategic actions outlined in
the report were:
1. Creation of a social change campaign
to reframe caring and promote the
workforce
2. Voluntary industry code of practice
3. Reframing the qualification and skills
framework – addressing current
and future competencies and skills
requirements
4. Defining new career pathways
including accreditation
5. Developing cultures of feedback and
continuous improvement
6. Establishing a new standard approach
to workforce planning and skills
mix modelling
7. Implementing new attraction and
retention strategies for the workforce
8. Developing a revised workforce
relations framework to better reflect
the changing nature of work
9. Strengthening the interface between
aged care and primary/acute care
10. Improved training and recruitment
practices for the Australian
Government aged care workforce
11. Establishing a remote accord
12. Establishing an Aged Care Centre for
Growth and Translational Research
13. Current and future funding
considerations, including staff
remuneration
14. Transitioning the existing workforce
to new standards. ■
agedcareinsite.com.au
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