Reminder. The Royal Commission on aged care reported last year that: "The aged care sector suffers from severe difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff. Workloads are heavy. Pay and conditions are poor, signaling that working in aged care is not a valued occupation..." 1/
It goes on: "Innovation is stymied. Education and training are patchy and there is no defined career path for staff. Leadership is lacking. Major change is necessary to deliver the certainty and working environment that staff need to deliver great quality care.” 2/
The problems in #agedcare have been well documented for years. #COVID has merely exposed these fault lines. We need an economic recovery that prioritises decent wages and secure conditions for all #frontline workers. We can't afford to wait. 3/
It's time to end the 'Neglect': agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/i…
More findings: "Left out of sight and out of mind, these important services are floundering. They are fragmented, unsupported and underfunded. With some admirable exceptions, they are poorly managed. All too often, they are unsafe and seemingly uncaring." 5/
"This must change. Australia prides itself on being a clever, innovative and caring country. Why, then, has
the Royal Commission found these qualities so signally lacking in our aged care system?" 6/
the Royal Commission found these qualities so signally lacking in our aged care system?" 6/
"We have uncovered an aged care system that is characterised by an absence of innovation and by rigid conformity. The system lacks transparency in
communication, reporting and accountability." 7/
communication, reporting and accountability." 7/
"It is not built around the people it is supposed to help and support, but around funding mechanisms, processes and procedures. This, too, must change." 8/
"While there are exceptions, most nurses, carer workers and allied health practitioners delivering care are doing their best in extremely trying circumstances where there are constraints on their time and on the resources available to them." We must do better.
One of the govt’s early policies to deal w understaffing in aged care was to let international students shut out of JobSeeker work more hours if they were working in aged care or supermarkets. But caring for the elderly is not like stacking shelves is it? health.gov.au/ministers/sena…
“Many intl students already work in the aged care sector but are restricted to 40 hours a fortnight. We’rerelaxing those limits to help fill the temporary staff shortages... This follows similar concessions to major supermarkets to keep shelves stocked with essential items.”
