Attracting and retaining staff is one of the most significant challenges facing the aged care sector at the moment. With the requirement for 24/7 Registered Nurses coming in on 1 July 2023 and a mandated 200 minutes of care per day from October this year, the demand for staff is only likely to increase in the months ahead.
The latest figures from the Department of Health show an additional 25,000 aged care workers will be required to meet the incoming targets in the 2024-25 financial year. Turnover rates in aged care are sitting at around 30%.
And the problem extends beyond staff on the floor.
Our annual survey of senior aged care executives conducted in December last year for our premium digital magazine, SATURDAY, showed – for the second year in a row – that ‘attracting leadership talent’ was senior executives’ most significant challenge.
RESILIENCE
We don’t hear as often about the shortage of aged care senior and management staff, but there are a multitude of reasons turnover is high and attraction is complex.
Mark Silva, CEO and Founder of aged care recruitment and advisory organisation, Standard 7, says there is high turnover of senior management staff because expectations are often not “aligned with the realities of working in aged care”.
Standard 7 – the name a reference to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Standards’ Human Resources requirements – recruits carefully to avoid this expectation mismatch.
They employ only experienced staff who understand aged care and the resilience required to work in the sector.
“Resilience is something which you don’t see as a prerequisite on jobs, but something that we discuss with our candidates to work in the sector, especially at management level,” said Mark, who managed For Profit, Not For Profit and rural aged care homes before founding Standard 7.
With a “stringent” screening process and thorough induction process, Standard 7’s staff are clear about what they can expect.
Of course, recruitment can be more challenging in regional and rural areas, but Standard 7 has staff who will travel in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
SKILLS SHORTAGE
Senior and management aged care skills are in high demand across all facets of aged care organisations, from turning around non-compliance, helping with accreditation, developing policies, legal assistance, and workforce planning, to providing nurses and GPs.
“Aged care providers need skilled and experienced staff,” Mark said.
STAFF GRAVITATE TO BETTER CONDITIONS
For staff on the floor, Mark said challenging employment conditions are contributing to high turnover rates, and many are turning to agency work. “Aspirational” aged care staff are gravitating towards the agencies because they offer better pay and greater flexibility, he said. Agency work support a better work - lifestyle balance.
“Until we, as a nation, can pay our assistants in nursing and registered nurses more, we’re going to have difficulty filling roles,” said Mark.
"You want to provide good care, you need to have skilled people.”
ONGOING SUPPORT
According to HESTA’s 2021 Sate of the Sector Aged Care Insights report, one third of aged care employees said they did not feel appreciated by their community or employer.
Regular check ins are a way to make staff feel supported – and to inspire staff. “We interact with our staff because they're an extension of our team and ambassadors for the brand,” said Mark.
“Whether we engage with the provider for longer or not, we want to ensure that the quality of care remains.”
Standard 7 also helps staff with “career mapping” to help build skills and experience, and extend the staff member’s tenure.
PHOENIX RISING
With modest pay, heavy workloads, the pandemic, reform fatigue, and staff shortages, employees at all levels of aged care organisations have had an extremely challenging few years.
The Standard 7 logo features an image of a phoenix. Mark said it’s a reference to so many aged care workers he knows who have picked themselves up and risen again, despite the challenges.
"Experienced staff who’ve been working in aged care for years and years, they say 'I feel exhausted, but I keep going on for the residents’.
“They come back again and again, in a sort of rebirth and with a passion and fire in their belly to do something better, to continue because of their love for the residents and the team.”
