Govt will examine staffing levels in nursing homes
The Commonwealth Government has re-stated its commitment to examining staffing levels in nursing homes.
This comes in the wake of calls for mandatory staffing levels by the nurses’ union, following sanctions against the Kirralee Nursing Home in Victoria.
The Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, said a review of staffing levels would come after there was a better understanding of the impact of the new Aged Care Funding Instrument, which was introduced in March.
But Mrs Elliot refused to commit to mandated minimum staffing levels, stating that there is great variation in care needs across different facilities.
“Staffing levels and skills are affected by factors such as the level of care and needs of residents, the nature of the buildings and the way work is organised,” said Mrs Elliot.
“It also depends on the mix of residents’ needs – whether it is low care, high care, dementia or psycho-geriatric.”
