A consortium of 12 aged care providers from regional Victoria and one from Tasmania have banded together in an effort to have ENs included in the mandatory 40 care minute target required for RNs coming in from 1 October.
Not For Profit retirement living and aged care provider AdventCare CEO David Reece told The SOURCE their Yarra Ranges aged care home in Warburton, 76km east of Melbourne, is achieving 19 minutes of RN care per resident per day due to difficulties hiring RNs in regional areas, however, they are achieving 55 minutes of combined EN/RN care per resident per day.
AdventCare will need to top up their RNs with agency staff, which costs $4,000-$5,000 per month – for which they receive no Government subsidy.
AdventCare have highly experienced ENs who are operating at a high level at Yarra Ranges, however, their work is not valued under the incoming mandatory care minutes model, David said.
The consortium would like to see a combined EN/RN model that places greater value on the work ENs do.
The 200 care minutes per resident per day are funded through AN-ACC. From 1 October 2023, the Government will provide an additional $5.4 billion in funding over four years to deliver the 200 care minutes.
In July, David spoke to The SOURCE about the consortium seeking “alternative models” to the mandatory 24/7 RN requirement, which came in on 1 July, as regional homes face difficulties recruiting RNs. Wollongong University is assessing alternative models of care and will report at the end of September. It will be up to the Department how they proceed.
The SOURCE: Staff shortages in regional areas, particularly for highly skilled workers like RNs, are putting intense pressure on aged care providers, particularly as the Government implements mandatory requirements for minimum staffing levels.
