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She says that when other staff took the advice to go to the hospital to get their second dose , there were more hurdles .
“ But the hospital has said they can ’ t give them a second shot unless the facility or the management ring up the hospital and organise that .
“ So one of the staff members has actually sent emails to the manager to try and get her to work out when they can get their second shot because it has to be Pfizer .”
Donna is angry with the government for overpromising and under delivering , but also her employer for their lack of support during the process .
“ There ’ s a lot of people at my workplace who are extremely pissed off , and to the point that they ’ re thinking of not even getting the vaccination done at all now because it ’ s just too much of a hassle ,” she says .
“ We are always saying , ‘ you are the frontliners in aged care ’, no matter what you do , whether you ’ re a nurse , a carer , a cleaner . But we are feeling like we are just the most neglected industry with the most important jobs on our heads and our shoulders . We are not treated in the way that we deserve to be .”
Smith agrees and says that this is just another example of the Government neglecting aged care .
“ The Morrison Government has once again failed older Australians , their families and aged care workers .” ■
COTA CEO Ian Yates . Photo : AAP / James Elsby
Come together
Consumer peaks unite , propose industry reform .
Twelve aged care consumer peak organisations have come together and issued a joint plan for reform of the aged care sector .
Led by the Council on the Ageing ( COTA ) Australia , the groups issued a response to the royal commission ’ s final report and identified key areas for fixing aged care that they say the federal government must implement in the upcoming budget .
Crucially , they want the reforms to be put in place within 12 to 18 months .
“ The last thing Australians deserve is the government kicking the can down the road on many of the key changes we need ,” said Ian Yates , chief executive of COTA Australia , on behalf of the group .
Among the changes the signatory organisations want to see implemented are increased transparency from aged care providers , minimum staffing levels , wage increases for workers , stronger powers and a more versatile toolkit for an independent quality regulator , and a new rights-based Aged Care Act .
The group also calls for the establishment of an Independent Pricing Authority for aged care , and they want a maximum 30-day wait period for home care by no later than December 2022 , as well as the implementation of a single Care at Home program that provides individualised care by 2023 .
“ The Government cannot get away with cherry picking a few recommendations now but saying it will consider the rest later . That will not wash with the many hundreds of thousands of older Australians who are looking to this government to deliver them hope that they , and their families , will enjoy a radically better aged care system than the one we have today ,” Yates said .
“ The government must not delay reform . We are sending a clear message to the Morrison Government that older Australians expect action now .”
The signatories , which also include Dementia Australia and Carers Australia , have based their recommendations on the royal commission report on points such as funding , quality control , provider integrity and accountability . And they recommend making an Implementation Task Force to drive the reforms with an independent chair and independent members , as well as senior government officials .
“ Much can be achieved in the next year to give older Australians genuine selfdetermination , hold providers accountable for failure to deliver quality care , to treat those who need support with dignity and respect , and to enable and reward excellence ,” said National Seniors Australia CEO Professor John McCallum .
Yates said : “ We recognise that the government faces significant challenges in implementing the Royal Commission ’ s recommendations in full … But these must be met . This is Australia ’ s ‘ line in the sand ’ moment for giving us the aged care system we deserve and expect .” ■
4 agedcareinsite . com . au