7 minute read
Across the Nation
AcrosstheNation – Aged Care
Signs point to higher wages support from new Federal Government
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) recent decision to increase the minimum wage by 5.2% bode well for the ANF’s work value case currently before the FWC where we are seeking a 25% increase in wages for aged care staff. The FWC will hold its final hearings in August and we expect a decision in October.
Meanwhile, the new Federal Labor Government continues to make public comments in support of higher wages for aged care workers and they will be making a submission to our work value case in the same way they made a submission to the recent minimum wage case. The Federal Government has promised to fund higher aged care wages and Minister Butler recently said: the current low wages paid to aged care workers are “not fair” and “not sustainable… if we’re going to get the number of aged care workers, nurses, carers and other workers we need today, but particularly are going to need into the future as our population continues to age.”
25%
increase in wages
Tasmanian aged care nurse suspended after stealing painkillers from work to treat her own cancer pain.
According to the recent decision of Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Melissa How took 43 Panamax tablets, 10 Tramadol tablets, 20 Oxazepam tablets and 33 Panadeine Forte tablets from two residential aged care facilities she worked at during 2020. The 49-year-old also admitted to removing the memory card from a hidden camera that was placed in the medication room at one of the facilities where she worked.
Ms How told the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia she’d been awaiting surgery and treatment, suffering with back pain and abdominal cramping – but due to the Covid pandemic, found it hard to get to a doctor. She said while at work, she’d struggled to deal with the pain and found it hard to get through an eight-hour shift without pain relief. Ms How said she now realised she’d made a “stupid decision” to take medication from work that she’d run out of at home.
The tribunal noted there was no evidence any patient had suffered harm as a result of Ms How’s actions, noting the nurse was “sincerely sorry and remorseful for what she had done”.
Ms How was found guilty of professional misconduct and suspended her registration until September 10 this year. It also ordered her to undergo education covering ethical conduct and practice as a nurse.
RN 24/7 in aged care
Newly minted Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says he will introduce legislation as early as July to deliver the Albanese government’s aged care reforms delivering
Mark on its election promise to make sure there is
Butler a Registered Nurse on every shift. Mr Butler said the government was drafting the bill “to present to the parliament as soon as it opens”, while also working on a plan to boost the nursing workforce. He has asked his department to update its workforce modelling to factor in part-time aged care nurses who might pick up extra hours. “I don’t buy the argument from the former government that the difference between having a registered nurse on site 16 hours a day and 24 hours a day will have to be filled by vast numbers of nurses brought in from overseas,” Butler said. The minister also said he hoped that better working conditions would persuade former aged care nurses and personal carers to return to the sector, but concedes immigration will play a role in filling some of the vacancies. Health Department modelling provided to the former government estimated that an extra 14,000 nurses would be needed to make good on their commitment to have a registered nurse on-site for 16 hours a day. The new government’s aged care bill will also set up a new aged care funding model due to start on October 1 - which the Coalition failed to legislate before the election along with the first stage of minimum staffing - with an average daily 200 care minutes per resident from October 2023. That standard includes 40 minutes with a registered nurse and requires a registered nurse to be on-site for a morning and afternoon shift.
ANF Aged Care Campaign shift votes across all states
The nation-wide ANF campaign to highlight fixing aged care as an election issue, clearly had an effect on voters according to one poll conducted by the Australian National University. In the poll, held just before the election, voters rated fixing the aged care system as the second priority for the next federal government behind the cost of living. All the ANF state branches across Australia were involved in the multimillion dollar advertising blitz with ads running in every state and territory. The pre-election advertising blitz built on the work done by all the ANF branches over the previous two years to highlight significant changes needed in the aged care sector and to lobby politicians to actually support and implement meaningful solutions. The aim of the final advertising blitz was to further increase the public’s awareness of aged care issues as they head to the polling booths or as they cast their postal ballot.
The 4 key areas of focus for the ANF ads were:
• Improved wages and conditions. • Mandated staffing ratios and the right skills mix • RN24/7 – at least one registered nurse on site at all times. • Greater transparency of the funding tied to care
Run off feet and no one has time to pee
The research study funded by the Continence Foundation of Australia found that aged care residents worry that staff would not be able to respond in time to their need for toileting assistance. Many described attempting to anticipate staff availability in order to avoid overburdening them with their continence care needs.
“Residents were extremely concerned for staff who they saw as ‘run off their feet’. Almost three quarters of aged care residents live with urinary incontinence and the negative impacts can drastically affect the quality of life of older people, increasing risk of falls and the development of painful dermatitis, researchers say.
The new research, conducted by Evaluate and the University of Notre Dame reveals some 23,089 vacancies in hospitals and 59,067 in aged care across the country. The research was conducted by drawing on survey data from Catholic health providers across Australia and extrapolating figures for the entire Australian health system. “I think Australians know there is a shortage of health workers in our system, but I don’t think many understand just how enormous this problem has grown,” said Catholic Health Australia chief executive Pat Garcia.
“The researchers in this study were actually conservative in their modelling, so there’s a chance the real numbers are even higher than these startling figures. Mr Garcia called on the incoming Health Minister to urgently champion a range of reforms to help alleviate the crisis. “If these numbers don’t shock the new Federal Health Minister, I don’t know what will.”
• Are you looking for a diverse and rewarding role that can make a real difference with remote indigenous communities? • Generous remuneration package starting from $131,642 - $144,080 including an above award rate & allowances! • OUTSTANDING additional benefits including salary sacrificing,12weeks leave & free accommodation! • FIFO options and remote work arrangements available!
Ngaanyatjarra Health Service now has multiple exciting opportunities for Registered Nurses to join their team as Primary Health Care Nurses
About Ngaanyatjarra Health Service
Ngaanyatjarra Health Service (NHS) provides services to communities across the Ngaanyatjarra region of Western Australia from their 11 Primary Health Care Centres, staffed by experienced Remote Area Nurses, Aboriginal Health Workers and allied health staff. With a focus on population health and preventative care, they also offer environmental health programs, health promotion, social and emotional wellbeing programs, and a range of healthy ageing and disability supports. NHS is part of the wider Ngaanyatjarra Council Aboriginal
Corporation (NCAC), which represents the interests of around 2000 Ngaanyatjarra, Pintupi and Pitjantjatjara people, living in 12 communities in the Central Desert region of Western Australia, providing reliable essential services, air transport, bookkeeping, agency and road transport, fuel distribution, health services, community services and improved housing.
• Salary packaging • 12 weeks leave • Leave loading (on up to 6 weeks leave) • Fantastic career pathways; • Free accommodation.
With FIFO options and flexible arrangements negotiable depending on your needs, you’ll enjoy a fantastic work/life balance, with plenty of time to visit friends and family, or explore the beautiful surroundings and adventure opportunities nearby! This is a rare chance to join a leading health service and take on a challenging but rewarding role, making a real difference in remote Aboriginal communities
