Aged care providers urge PM to resolve crisis

Aged care providers — the AACC*, a group of six aged care peak bodies: Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA), Anglicare Australia, Baptist Care Australia, Catholic Health Australia, Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) and UnitingCare Australia — and unions have written an open letter to the Prime Minister urging him to resolve challenges facing the sector.

“For the past two years aged care services and staff have been on the frontline working day and night in the most challenging situations, doing everything they can, often with limited resources, to keep people safe,” the letter says.

“We have kept Government informed of the impacts of the pandemic on aged care services and proactively put forward solutions to address them. Although there is much that has been done to respond to the presenting issues, regrettably, much of the government’s response has fallen short of what Australia’s older people in care have needed. Older people, their families and our aged care workers are all suffering as a consequence.

“Sadly, the tragic human cost of this crisis continues to grow.”

The providers are urging the government to do the following:

Workforce:

• Immediately lift staff wages as recommended by RC and publicly commit to fully funding the outcome of the FWC work value case process.
• In addition to planned ADF support, immediately address critical staff and skills shortages.

Operating costs:

Immediately increase subsidies paid to services to fund the increase in new operating costs incurred for improved infection prevention and protection measures.

Resilience:

Establish the proposed National Aged Care Covid Coordination Centre (NAT-ACCC) in partnership with state/territory governments and the sector to ensure that aged care services are effectively resourced, enabled and supported to deal with future waves.

“As the pandemic continues, ensuring the staff on the frontline in aged care are resourced and enabled to effectively care for and protect older Australians is in your hands. As Prime Minister we call on you to work with us to resolve this crisis,” the letter concludes.

The AACC represents more than 1000 organisations who deliver 70% of aged care services to 1.3 million Australians, either in their own homes or in communal residential settings.

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