Residents and staff of Bupa aged care facilities are bearing the brunt of the British multinational’s failure to comply with mandatory care minutes.

By early January, nearly 400 Bupa Assistants in Nursing (AiNs), Enrolled Nurses (ENs), and Registered Nurses (RNs) in NSW had signed a petition urging the company to address chronic understaffing by adhering to government-legislated care minutes. NSWNMA members collected signatures at more than half of Bupa sites in less than eight weeks. The petition, initiated by NSWNMA members, reveals that Bupa nursing homes in NSW are missing an average of 35 minutes of care per resident daily.

“Stop ignoring our clinical and safety concerns; one AiN is often left to care for 10 to 35 residents. Comply with care minutes now,” the petition asserts.

Concerns and Petition Highlights:

The petition calls on Bupa to acknowledge clinical and safety concerns raised by nursing staff and advocates for a “like-for-like” replacement policy to prevent inappropriate skill mix. It emphasizes the need for more RNs on shift and opposes directing direct care staff to non-clinical work like cleaning and laundry.

Some instances of non-compliance mentioned in the petition include:

• Bupa Bankstown: Short 20 AiNs per day, residents missing 62 minutes of daily care on average (late 2023 data).
• Bupa Queens Park: Short nine AiNs per day, costing residents 55 minutes of care per day on average.
• Bateau Bay: Short 12 AiNs per day, resulting in 54 minutes of care.
• Maroubra: Short 10 AiNs per day, causing a loss of 53 minutes of care.

These figures persist despite federal government payments to providers since October 1, 2022, to voluntarily meet the target of 200 care minutes per resident per day, which became mandatory on October 1, 2023.

Letter to CEO and Union Response:

In a letter to Nick Stone, CEO of Bupa Asia Pacific, NSWNMA General Secretary, Shaye Candish, expressed concerns that Bupa is not meeting the required mandated care minutes. The letter emphasizes the impact on nurses’ health and safety due to inadequate time for patient care and the expectation to fulfill other duties like kitchen and laundry.

NSWNMA members at Bupa report that facilities have failed to replace staff on leave, and additional staff to compensate for restrictions on student hours have not been employed since July 1, 2023.

Taxpayer Subsidies and Union Growth:

The government allocates billions in taxpayer dollars for major aged care reforms, including additional funding for nursing and care staff. Despite this, Bupa residents are not receiving the expected level of care. The NSWNMA witnessed significant growth in membership at Bupa in 2023, with new branches formed as staffing deteriorated and workloads increased.

“Our residents should be receiving a higher level of care with more staff to attend to their needs. They are not getting the care they deserve, which they and the government have paid for,” said Raj Subedi, RN, Branch Secretary at Bupa Baulkham Hills.

The union insists that full implementation of the mandatory care minutes requirement would alleviate staffing problems and enhance resident care.