The Shadow Minister for Aged Care Anne Ruston is calling on the Government to use the upcoming Federal Budget to do more to plug the 6,000 gap in Registered Nurses that must be filled to meet mandatory care requirements from 1 October 2024.

“Over the last quarter, we only saw an additional 44 nurses enter the aged care workforce, which means almost 6,000 additional nurses are still needed before October 2024 to implement the Government’s new mandated staffing requirements," Senator Ruston told The SOURCE.

The Government must also take action on the workforce shortfall in home care to ensure there are the resources to deliver on "critical home care packages," Senator Ruston said.

"For more than a year, the Coalition has been calling for a comprehensive national workforce strategy for the entire care sector, as the only way to adequately address the workforce crisis impacting aged care services across the country.

“Providers are being crippled by the cost of agency staff as they try to meet the Government’s mandated care minutes and 24/7 registered nurse requirements."

From 1 October 2024, mandatory care minutes will increase to an average of 215 minutes of care, including 44 minutes from a Registered Nurse. The residential aged care sector was achieving care minutes of 193.99 per resident per day as of 1 October 2023, the day that 200 direct care minutes became mandatory, the Minister for Aged Care and Sport Anika Wells said in a statement.

The 2024 Federal Budget will be delivered on Tuesday 14 May.