The ANMF’s 2019 National Aged Care Survey identifies a continued systemic failure to ensure safe and quality care to all aged care residents and an abrogation of duty by governments and providers.
In 2016, National Survey participants described the situation in aged care as approaching despair. In 2019, the despair has arrived.
“Indifference and lack of respect for aged care residents and the staff that work there are increasingly prevalent while workloads, staffing levels, skills mix and pay remain unchanged or worse,” says a report of the 2019 findings.
ANMF Secretary Annie Butler says the survey of more than 2700 aged care workers “paints a bleak picture of aged care in Australia and points to a clear abrogation of duty by governments and aged care providers”.
“Nurses and carers believe many aged care employers, managers and executives lack the necessary skills to run aged care facilities effectively, so quickly resort to blaming staff for their own inadequacies,” she said.
“Staff also level this criticism at the government, which they describe not only as unskilled but worse, uncaring and without empathy. And the perverse lack of transparency permits all this to continue.”
Participants in the survey were asked to outline their main concerns about the current situation in residential aged care:
- 90 per cent nominated inadequate staffing to provide basic care to residents;
- 61 per cent said lack of experience/qualifications of staff;
- 51 per cent said current Commonwealth funding;
- 38 per cent said greater transparency/accountability for Commonwealth funding;
- 36 per cent said quality/amount of food for residents.
Annie Butler says nurses and carers describe in heartbreaking detail “the lack of value they feel they have to their employers and to society”.
“Right now, aged care workers are the only thing holding this broken system together and they want to be able to take pride in the work that they do.
“They want to give our elderly the best standard of care possible, and they want to be able to deliver that care in environments that are safe and supportive for themselves. But we’re not letting them do that,” she said.
“Australian aged care staff want to see Australian society take a moral and compassionate approach to our elderly, which would ensure them safe, dignified and respectful care at the end of their lives.
“They are pleading for change.”
Nurses and carers cop the flak
The ANMF National Aged Care survey reveals how nursing home workers are unfairly harassed and bullied as a result of shocking evidence exposed in the royal commission and on Four Corners.
“Overworked nurses and carers are being spat at in the street, abused in shopping centres and physically and emotionally harassed and vilified, and being made the ‘scapegoats’ for the crisis in aged care”, says the ANMF.
They also cop it from their employers.
In the survey, nurses and carers recount the suffering of elderly residents, who aren’t given basic care due to chronic understaffing. Staff say they are unfairly blamed by their employers – for the providers’ own inadequacies, with government offering little, or no support.
Annie Butler says staff are paying a personal price for this pressure.
“Deteriorating staffing levels and overwhelming workloads are having terrible consequences on their physical and emotional health and professional safety, she said.
“Despite their best efforts and intentions, staff simply cannot manage the workload demanded of them. They also identified feeling the increasing pressure of being held responsible for the failings of the aged care system rather than the system itself and the authorities who are meant to be responsible for ensuring its safety and quality being held accountable.”
Damning testimonies
The ANMF report contains many harrowing accounts that, together, paint a sector in crisis:
“Violence and aggression towards staff, especially towards carers by residents with dementia and mental illness.”
“Bullying, intimidation and scapegoating from management, which reduces everyone’s confidence, which in turn can also affect how we work for our residents.”
“Staff are being intimidated by management … often I am requested to lie when I do clinical paperwork so we get more funding.”
“Three carers and just one RN for more than 140 residents overnight.”
“Residents missing out being fed, toileted … residents being parked in front of TV in dementia wings.”
Download the report
You can read the whole report and survey results at: http://bit.ly/ANMFAgedCareSurvey19Report