The Minister for Aged Care and Sport, Anika Wells, this morning held a press conference in Canberra to reveal the first data after stating all residential aged care homes must have a Registered Nurse (RN) on duty by 1 July.
It shows that 86% of “reported facilities” have a RN onsite 24/7. 95% of residential aged care homes had sent in the data and look at the “note”: The Department of Health and Aged Care told The SOURCE in July there had been 53 applications for exemptions and 125 aged care homes were eligible to be exempt from the 24/7 RN requirement.
Those with short memories, should remember the Minister had imposed a 24/7 RN coverage by the 1 July - 41 days ago.
She trumpeted the available data stating that RNs are on site and on-duty on average 98% of the time in residential aged care homes. It also showed that the average number of reported hours per day an RN was onsite and on-duty was 23.53 hours a day.
However, the Minister had imposed a 24/7 RN coverage by the 1 July 2023 deadline.
“This government promised Australians we would restore dignity to aged care residents and our first month with 24/7 nursing has revealed a major increase in care with Registered Nurses in residential homes for 23.5 hours a day,” the Minister said.
“This is not the end of things for us. We’re going to keep working to get to 100% as soon as possible. We’ve got still a huge return agenda that we are rolling out.”
Catholic Health Australia’s Aged Care Director Jason Kara said the figures are a direct result of the Government’s singular focus on aged care reform since its election 15 months ago.
“Delivering structural reform in aged care is often put in the too-hard basket by Ministers and Governments yet from the beginning the Albanese government was committed to delivering real improvements in aged care to support the most vulnerable,” he said.
Aged and Community Care Providers Association CEO Tom Symondson said aged care providers should be congratulated for the result.
“More than 86% of residential aged care facilities have reported full compliance with the new legislation, and many more are close to doing so which is welcome news. With strict eligibility requirements for exemption from the rule, there is still work to be done to support those providers who are unable to fully comply due to a lack of workers and are not eligible for an exemption.”
“We will continue to work with the government to support those providers who haven’t quite met the requirements, and to identify how we can support them and ensure there are tailored solutions and options. This is particularly crucial in rural and remote Australia where shortages are at their worst,” he said.
Older Persons Advocacy Network CEO Craig Gear praised the aged care providers on achieving the outcome in the face of significant workforce challenges.
“We acknowledge that rural, regional and remote aged care homes face additional challenges, but the timeline for these exemptions must be clearly defined and regularly reviewed,” he said.
“In such circumstances, older people must have access to alternative arrangements and there must be rigorous oversight of the efficacy of these arrangements."
The SOURCE: 86% is pleasing, but the Minister said 24/7 RN cover on 1 July was mandatory.