BaptistCare NSW & ACT and Baptistcare WA’s merger has highlighted the potential impact of the incoming aged care reforms on the viability of the residential care sector – and it’s not good news.
Baptistcare WA CEO Amanda Vivian told The Weekly SOURCE and SATURDAY that the largest WA providers have forecast that up to 30% of aged care beds in the state could close under the 1 July requirement for 24/7 Registered Nurses in residential care.
The group making this prediction – Baptistcare WA, Amana Living, Juniper, Hall & Prior, Bethanie, Southern Cross Care WA, and Brightwater Care – have worked together since 2020 to advocate to the State and Federal Governments on key issues facing the aged care sector.
“The main providers have looked at the Registered Nurses we currently have, and at the core numbers of what Registered Nurses we need, given the regional and rural nature of many of our facilities across WA, and our ability to meet the 24/7 requirement means that 30% of beds would be impacted,” said Amanda.
“We have no desire, commitment or even consideration of closing beds, but we are putting pressure on the system to try and get Registered Nurses out of a health system that don’t exist.”
The mandated 200 minutes of direct care due to start from October will only put further pressure on this demand.
BaptistCare NSW & ACT CEO Charles Moore acknowledged that bed closures could become a reality if there are no changes to the requirements which currently only count direct care delivered by a RN, Enrolled Nurse or personal care worker and include 40 minutes of direct care from an RN.
“We are absolutely prepared, if there isn’t any intervention, we will have to seriously look at the closure of beds, particularly in WA,” he said.
As we reported last week, only 5% of providers are likely to be eligible for an exemption from the 24/7 RNs – namely small, aged care homes with less than 30 beds in rural and remote areas.
That creates an impossible situation for most of the sector – and provides only one logical solution: close beds and shift staff to other areas to meet the requirements.
This could result in mass bed closures around the country – likely in the communities where they are most needed.
Is this what we want?
As we see it, the Government has two options.
The first is to back down on its commitment – which seems very unlikely.
The second is to update the 24/7 RN and care minute requirements to allow Enrolled Nurses to be counted under the RN requirement and also enable other staff that do provide direct care to residents such as lifestyle officers and allied health staff to be included.
The Department of Health and Aged Care knows that there is a shortfall in staffing – its own documents show that there will be a shortage of 40,000 RNs and PCWs by 2024-25 because of the requirements.
With 1 July just three-and-a-half months away, strong advocacy is needed on this issue now. Aged care providers need to get behind ACCPA and make their voices heard.
