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Anika Wells visited aged care homes in Queensland earlier this year . Picture : NewsCorp Australia .
‘ Move forward ’
Aged Care Minister quizzed on nursing care and funding levy .
By NCA NewsWire
Australians won ’ t be given a new time frame for the introduction of 24 / 7 nurses onsite in aged care homes after Labor conceded the July 1 deadline would be ‘ impossible to meet .’
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said she was working to fulfil Labor ’ s election promise to have around-the-clock nursing care in every facility ‘ as soon as possible .’
Labor legislated the commitment and then had to perform an about-face after admitting workforce shortages meant some facilities couldn ’ t meet the new nursing requirements by the mandated July 1 deadline .
Speaking on ABC Insiders , Ms Wells said she didn ’ t regret making the promise even though she was reluctant to say when it would be fully met .
“ It ’ s a systemic crippling ( workforce ) shortage that we inherited – that other countries like us face – but that shouldn ’ t mean that people have to accept a feebler standard of care ,” she said .
“ Even where we fall short , come July , there will still be many more nurses providing many more hours of care in aged care homes than they ever would have been had we not .”
Staffing facilities with registered nurses 24 / 7 was a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Aged Care , along with increasing care minutes to 200 per resident per day .
Aged care homes that can ’ t meet the new nursing requirement by July 1 can be granted an exemption if they satisfy the industry regulator they are trying to hire staff and have alternative care arrangements in place .
Ms Wells used an address at the National Press Club to suggest a new task force set up to review funding arrangements for aged care should examine a taxpayer levy as one way to improve the troubled sector .
Labor now appears open to the idea of the levy after rejecting it before the election . ■
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