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‘Too big to fail’
Nurses and doctors unite to call out government
on aged care.
N
urses and doctors have joined forces, calling on the
government to act now on the “crisis” in aged care.
The Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation
(ANMF) and Australian Medical Association (AMA) have released
a statement urging action now, rather than waiting for the
conclusion of the royal commission in 2020.
“The government cannot stand by and watch aged care
providers continue to provide poor quality care because they are
deemed ‘too big to fail’,” said AMA president Dr Tony Bartone.
“The aged care system urgently needs a safe and quality skills
mix of medical, nursing and care staff. The increased presence
of doctors as part of the care team is vital. The government must
act now.”
The group said that although they fully support the work of
the royal commission, there is enough evidence of “serious and
dangerous shortcomings in the system” to act now, and older
Aussies in aged care “cannot wait another year for government
action to fix aged care”.
The group proposed a number of reforms, including:
• m
andatory minimum staff-to-resident ratios, including ensuring
sufficient skilled nurses in residential aged care facilities
• increased GP aged care Medicare rebates for patients to facilitate
enhanced medical practitioner care of aged care residents
• expanded home care investment to allow more older people
to stay longer in their own homes and relieve pressure on
residential aged care services.
They also called on the government to increase general aged care
funding, with increased transparency in how funds are allocated.
The statement said that “insufficient funding” is to blame for
staff shortages, lack of RNs and medication mistakes, poor food
and the overall state of aged care facilities.
ANMF federal secretary Annie Butler said Australians deserve
high quality aged care delivered by trained health professionals,
and she doubled down on the ANMF’s stance that understaffing is
to blame for many instances of neglect.
“The often-horrific evidence presented to the royal commission
and the stories revealed in recent Four Corners and other media
programs are simply confirming what ANMF members have
known for many years and are reporting to us with increasing
despair,” she said.
“Underpinning many of the problems being exposed across
the aged care sector is systemic, chronic understaffing, leading
to unacceptable instances of neglect, abuse and too many
preventable deaths.”
Butler wants more doctors and GPs in aged care, and RNs
available 24 hours a day in nursing homes. She has also called on
the government to urge providers to publish “the staffing ratios in
their facilities and to transparently report on their use of publicly
funded subsidies”, as this will allow the government to allocate
funding appropriately. ■
Confidence in Australia’s aged care system still low.
A
Trust issues
ustralians don’t trust aged care. The 2019 Inside Aged
Care report, which sampled 1547 people across Australia,
has revealed that only 20 per cent of Australians trust
the industry.
This was in line with the findings from the previous year’s report,
which found that only 18 per cent trust the industry and only 13
per cent think it’s open and transparent.
And trust has waned among those aged 60-plus, with a
drop from 17 per cent in the 2018 report to just 12 per cent
this year.
Veronica Mayne, managing director of Faster Horses, the
consultancy group behind the report, said that while the aged
care royal commission has improved perceptions around
regulation and transparency in the industry, this has not flowed
through to trust.
Leading Age Services Australia chief executive Sean Rooney
said while the report showed upward trends in some areas – such
as perceptions of innovation, being well regulated, and openness
and transparency in the industry – as a sector “we need to
do better”.
“This is why we need to work with government, stakeholders
and the community to realise better outcomes for all older
Australians.”
Inside Aged Care is now in its second year and is compiled by
Faster Horses. ■
agedcareinsite.com.au
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