DiagnosticsANF Pleased With Aged Care Announcement, But Will It Keep Nurses In Aged Care?
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) welcomes the Federal Government"s announcement of funding to upgrade the skills of workers in aged care.
In response to the Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot"s announcement of $43.8 million in funding for the education and training package, ANF Federal Secretary Ged Kearney said she was pleased to see that the Minister recognised the need for qualified nurses in aged care.
"Seventy-six percent of people going into nursing homes require high levels of nursing care, they need nursing staff and assistants in nursing who are able to meet their complex health care needs."
Unfortunately, increasing the skills of those people working in aged care may mean the sector looses them to other areas of health because of better pay and conditions.
"Of concern to nurses and the ANF is the widening gap between the pay and conditions of workers in aged care compared with their colleagues in public hospitals. Once aged care workers are up-skilled will they move to the better pay and conditions offered outside the aged care sector?" Ms Kearney said.
The ANF is running the Because we care campaign, the main objectives of which are to help the aged care sector attract more nursing staff with the right mix of nursing skills and to achieve increased federal government funding with tighter accountability, without which they say the aged care sector will continue to loose skilled, qualified nursing staff.
Australian Nursing Federation