Aged Care
LEGISLATED: Registered nurses to be onsite in aged care facilities 24/7 after parliament passes bill
From 1 July next year, all aged care facilities will be required to have registered nurses on site 24/7 following the successful passage of the Implementing Care Reform Bill through federal parliament this week.
Reforming the aged care sector was a major part of Prime Minister Albanese’s election promise to aged care nurses and residents.
Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells welcomed the bill, commenting the requirement to have 24/7 registered nurses in aged care was “a significant change to ensure high quality care for older Australians” and promised this requirement would be “supported by the initiatives we have in place to the grow the workforce and boost the skills of aged care nurses”.
This improvement to the aged care sector is one of a number of reforms planned, and reaffirmed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers in his first Budget this week, including:
- Mandated, minimum care minutes for residents each day (200 minutes by October 2023 and 215 minutes by October 2024)
- Pledged federal funding for any pay increase from the Fair Work Commission work value case (decision pending – alongside other unions, the NSWNMA has asked for a 25% pay increase for aged care staff)
- Higher quality meals for residents
The bill also sets strict transparency measures for aged care providers in relation to the spending of public funds and will now require providers to regularly publish their financial and operational reporting. This reporting must include details about expenditure on care, nursing, food, maintenance, cleaning, administration, and profits.
NSWNMA members welcomed the passing of the bill, having campaigned for urgent reform to the sector for many years.