Aged Care
Minimum staffing levels top Labor’s agenda
Federal Labor has put aged care reform high on its agenda and issued an eight-point plan for the sector.
Federal Opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, said the government had failed to adequately prepare the sector for the pandemic and “failed to protect” older Australians.
The eight Labor proposals are:
- Minimum staffing levels in residential aged care
- Reduce the home care package waiting list so more people can stay in their homes for longer
- Ensure transparency and accountability of funding to support high quality care
- Independent measurement and public reporting as recommended by the Royal Commission
- Ensure every residential aged care facility has adequate personal protective equipment
- Better training for staff, including on infection control
- A better surge workforce strategy
- Provide additional resources so the aged care royal commission can inquire specifically into COVID-19 across the sector, while not impacting or delaying the handing down of the final report.