Nurses, doctors call for immediate action on workforce improvements – starting with publication of staffing ratios.

Australia’s peak nurse and doctor organisations want the federal government to immediately require nursing homes to publish their staffing ratios and show how they are spending public funds.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) and Australian Medical Association (AMA) urged the government to start making workforce improvements before the royal commission’s final report due in late 2020.

In a joint statement, the two organisations said systemic, chronic understaffing was the basis of many of the problems being exposed across the aged care sector.

“We can’t wait for the Morrison government to act on recommendations of the royal commission to stop the suffering of our elderly,” the joint statement said.

“We simply cannot allow the government to continue to sit idly on the sidelines and watch the extent of this suffering unfold.”

The commission’s interim report released in October 2019 said the aged care workforce is under pressure, under-appreciated and lacks key skills.

It said services must have the right number of staff with the right skill mix.

The commission said its final report would include recommendations on workforce issues such as attraction and retention; education and training; choosing the right staff; remuneration and careers; continuity of care; and staffing levels and staff mix.

“The government can start on this immediately by requiring aged care providers to publish the staffing ratios in their facilities and to transparently report on their use of publicly funded subsidies,” the ANMF/AMA statement said.

“The government can then determine where additional 
funding is needed and ensure that it is provided.”

Read the report

The Interim Report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety can be downloaded from: https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/Pages/interim-report.aspx