news
Publish or perish?
A mooted private members bill would
require aged care providers to publish
full-time equivalent staffing ratios.
By Dallas Bastian
S
hould providers be required to publish staffing ratios online?
Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie introduced the
idea into parliament through the Aged Care Amendment
(Staffing Ratio Disclosure) Bill 2018.
The private members bill, supported by Independent MP for
Indi Cathy McGowan, would require aged care providers to publish
full-time equivalent staffing ratios by qualification on the My Aged
Care website.
Other than the name of the provider and those of the directors
or members of the committee of management, no other personal
information would be disclosed.
Sharkie told parliament that currently, decisions about aged care
are not fully informed because important information about the
level and quality of expert care that they can expect is being kept
from them.
“[The public] has a right to know what they’re signing up for,”
she said.
The member for Mayo said aged care is an important issue for
her community. “They are deeply concerned that many facilities
do not have enough staff with the right qualifications to care for
residents,” she said in a statement.
She added as Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt and others in
the sector are reluctant to set minimum staffing levels, her bill is
a “pragmatic step forward that will make residential facilities be
upfront about their staffing”.
Under the plan, providers would need to notify the secretary
within 28 days if any ratio of aged care recipients to staff member
changes by more than 10 per cent.
Providers would also have the option of including an
accompanying explanation of no more than 250 words.
“I recognise that different facilities have a different composition
of residents who have different care needs,” Sharkie said of this
addition to the bill.
ANMF federal secretary Annie Butler said the bill is a good first
step. “If they are doing the right thing and have the right number of
nurses and carers rostered in their facilities, then providers should
have nothing to hide,” Butler said.
COTA Australia chief executive Ian Yates said publishing this
information would not only ensure staffing levels adequately meet
residential care needs, it would also allow the government and
sector to identify gaps where demand for residential aged care is
outstripping the supply of workers.
“Older Australians and their loved ones deserve access to
information on staffing levels and mix to help them make an
informed choice when considering which residential aged care
provider is best suited for their individual needs,” Yates added.
The categories of qualification that would be listed include
registered nurses, enrolled nurses, nurses with a Certificate IV or
equivalent qualifications, personal care attendants, allied health
staff, and other staff members.
While COTA, the peak body for older Australians, welcomed the
overall objective of the bill, Yates added ensuring that consumers
understand the information offered is a complex task.
“For example, the bill only seeks to publish ratios, without
publishing the actual number of staff employed and doesn’t
explain why registered nursing staff should be separately published
at Levels 1 – 5 which may be confusing for a consumer who would
think any RN should be able to address their clinical needs.
“While COTA is unconvinced a blunt mandated nurse ratio is the
best way to achieve optimal care outcomes, requiring providers to
publicly disclose to consumers how their individual staffing levels
achieve good care outcomes is an issue worthy of the Parliament’s
investigation,” said Yates. ■
agedcareinsite.com.au
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