Aged care sector sends open letter to Prime Minister

The open letter, released by the Australian Aged Care Collaboration (AACC) – a group of six aged care peak bodies, outlines the ongoing struggle of the aged care sector as well as a call to action on what the Government needs to do to fix the issues.

There are three immediate changes that the aged care sector is requesting – in the areas of workforce, operating costs, and ongoing resilience.

The letter states, “At the start of this pandemic the aged care sector and your Government agreed it was a national priority to do all we can to protect older Australians, and the passionate and dedicated people that care for them, safe from the coronavirus.

“Sadly, two years on and three waves into the pandemic, aged care is in crisis… 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.

“Older Australians and their families have endured wave after wave of the pandemic. Our staff and services have risen to this challenge despite the huge cost to themselves and their families.

“We have kept the 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 letter is calling for changes to:

Workforce – Immediate lift in staff wages as recommended by the Royal Commission and a commitment to full funding of the Fair Work Commission work value case process. With the newly announced Australian Defence Force support, the industry is also asking for immediate plans that will address critical staff and skills shortages.

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

Resilience – An industry proposed National Aged Care COVID Coordination Centre (NAT-ACCC) to be established in partnership with State and Territory Governments and the sector, which will ensure aged care services are resourced and supported during future COVID-19 waves.

The united group wrote of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which was initially called to assure the community and industry that there were no systemic problems in aged care but instead found an “unacceptable”, “unsustainable” and fundamentally flawed system.

Commissioners found that the workforce was unvalued, understaffed and not paid well, and services were not funded enough to deliver quality care.

The Royal Commission also stated that COVID-19 is “the greatest challenge Australia’s aged care sector has faced”.

The AACC’s letter adds, “These fundamental issues which were cracks in the aged care system are now being turned into chasms by the pandemic,” states the letter.

“Older Australians deserve better. Those who care for them demand better.

“…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 aged care organisations involved in the letter include Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA), Anglicare Australia, Baptist Care Australia, Catholic Health Australia, Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) and UnitingCare Australia. The unions involved include Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation (ANMF), Health Services Union (HSU), United Workers Union (UWU) and Australian Workers Union (AWU).

Yesterday, aged care nurses and workers held a protest outside of Parliament House in Canberra to show their frustration at the Government for failing to protect staff and aged care residents from COVID-19, while demanding for immediate action.

Federal Secretary of the ANMF, Annie Butler, says, “The message from our exhausted aged care nurses, nursing home residents and their families is loud and clear – no more talking, no more ‘taskforces’, no more ‘inquiries’, no more deferring responsibility – only action.

“We are fed up with this Government for abandoning aged care workers and residents and we’re angry that Mr Morrison has let this all happen.

“Every day that Mr Morrison fails to act on safe, minimum staffing ratios, fails to deliver a decent, permanent pay rise for underpaid workers and fails to show our aged care workers and residents dignity and respect, is another day that elderly Australians in nursing homes continue to suffer.”