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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Health Minister Steven Miles. Photo: AAP Image/Richard Waugh
Transparency in the tropics
Queensland promises staffing
level reports, mandated ratios.
By Dallas Bastian
P
rivate aged care providers operating
in Queensland will be asked to
publicly report staffing information.
If they don’t, it may be published for them,
should legislation proposed by the state
government go ahead.
The move by premier Annastacia
Palaszczuk is an effort to help bring the
state’s private aged care providers in
line with its public ones that will have
mandated staff-to-patient ratios.
As private aged care is the
responsibility of the Commonwealth
government, the state’s mandated
staffing legislation does not extend to
such providers, but Palaszczuk said
all would be asked to publicly report
staffing information “for the sake of
transparency”.
“If they choose not to, we won’t be
afraid to reveal the identity of those
unwilling to do the right thing by elderly
Queenslanders,” she promised.
Health Minister Steven Miles said the
laws would complement legislatively
mandated nurse-to-resident ratios being
implemented in Queensland’s 16 publicly
owned aged care facilities.
“It makes sense that public and private
facilities are on the same playing field
when it comes to transparency and
accountability,” Miles said.
Palaszczuk said staff-to-patient ratios
work in the health system, saving lives
and money.
medication
lubricant
Gloup ® is a slippery lubricated
gel that makes tablets
easier to swallow
“Now we want to see nurse-to-resident
ratios help in the aged care sector,
providing comfort and confidence for
residents and their families.
“Revelations at the royal commission
into aged care and recent events at the
Earle Haven retirement village on the
Gold Coast provide a stark reminder that
elderly Queenslanders deserve the best
possible care.”
Queensland’s state-run residential aged
care facilities will begin quarterly reporting
of their staffing information this year.
The figures will be posted on an interactive
website to be set up to help consumers
compare private and public facilities when
making decisions about their care.
Palaszczuk called on the federal
government to introduce a mandate for
staff-to-patient ratios for the entire sector. ■
SHPA Guidelines
recommend
the use of a
medication
lubricant *
* The Society of Hospital Pharmacists
Australia, 2018, Australian Don’t Rush
to Crush Handbook, Third edition.
email: [email protected] phone: 02 9231 7200 web: www.gloup.com.au
Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, consult your healthcare professional.
® Gloup is a registered trademark. Mundipharma Pty Limited. FD19203 AU-5406 Aug19
agedcareinsite.com.au
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