The Australian Medical Association has backed calls for an Aged Care Commission to be introduced. Over the past few months there have been increasing calls for a Commission as families struggle with the cost of placing relatives into care homes only to find that even simple things like adhesive bandages and incontinence products are charged for on top of daily care costs. Families are also concerned about the quality of care from a largely casual workforce.
Families of residents in aged care state that staffing shortages mean that if a nursing home resident presses a buzzer they may have to wait up to half an hour for someone to come and take them to the toilet. They have also expressed concern over the waiting time to get their loved ones into a nursing home due to lengthy waiting lists, or that in some instances their elderly family members are being placed into homes a considerable distance away from any family support.
Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce
The Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce was formed on the 1st of November 2017. The main purpose of the Taskforce is to develop a strategy for expanding and sustaining the aged care workforce, including consideration of the supply and retention of aged care workers. Public and community consultation was invited in early February of this year.
In a detailed submission to the Government’s Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce, the AMA argues that the existing aged care workforce lacks the capability and capacity to provide quality care to older people. The AMA calls for more support for medical practitioners who provide medical care for people living in residential aged care facilities and that such facilities have access to a sufficient number of appropriately trained staff.
According to the AMA, more than half of residents in aged care homes have dementia and it is expected that this percentage will grow over time. The Association states that the aged care system requires sufficient funding in order to recruit and retain nursing staff trained to deal with the specific issues that affect older people. The AMA believes that an Aged Care Commission would help develop clear roles and responsibilities within the aged care industry.
The Taskforce is funded to the amount of two million dollars and work is expected to be completed by the end of this financial year. Earlier this month, the Australian government established an Aged Care Industry Reference Committee to review and develop national competency standards for training and reforms resulting from the Aged Care Workforce Strategy.