Aged care workforce shortages, exacerbated by COVID-19, are preventing older Australians from receiving care.
The Australian Aged Care Collaboration, a coalition of six aged care peak groups, has declared that the workforce is in crisis and has urged the federal government to intervene.
According to Sean Rooney, CEO of Leading Age Services Australia, the present issue has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 epidemic, but personnel shortages are nothing new.
Mr Rooney believes that it acknowledges that there is a critical need for worker assistance in aged care.
He added that since they need more personnel right now, they want them to be more trained and qualified, and they need to be compensated correctly.
If they can't accomplish it, their ability to address the requirements of the elderly individuals they care for is limited.
According to Mr Rooney, there must be both a long-term and a short-term strategy.
He admitted that the industry will need to significantly increase its staff in the future in order to handle the burden of an aging population.
However, he said that the government urgently needs a strategy to address the situation.
Opening the borders will not address the issue, and there is no fast cure, according to Mr Rooney. Instead, a multifaceted strategy is required.
What the AACC desires:
- Offer a competitive salary
- Provide financial incentives for nursing students to work in long-term care facilities.
- Develop a strategy for bringing in foreign employees to fill long-term and short-term openings when a local workforce is unavailable.
- Develop a pathway from high school into working in aged care
- Upskill enrolled nurses to be a registered nurse
