It’s just ‘isolated incidents’
Recent media reports regarding Australia’s aged care sector have included some concerning individual stories, however, they do not paint an accurate portrait of aged care in WA, according to Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) WA.
Recent media reports regarding Australia’s aged care sector have included some concerning individual stories, however, they do not paint an accurate portrait of aged care in WA, according to Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) WA.
ACSA WA chief executive, Stephen Kobelke, said the WA aged and community care sector had achieved some significant results in recent years, highlighting the industry’s willingness to innovate and invest in workforce development as its strongest asset.
“We see the next decade as an exciting time in aged care in WA, with the introduction of a number of new programs and initiatives helping to set our workforce up for whatever challenges may rise in the future,” he said.
“Our aged care jobs portal – www.agedcarejobs.org.au – is going from strength and our links with high quality training organisations which facilitate new entrants into the aged care sector are strong.”
Mr Kobelke pointed to excessive regulation and compliance requirements as diverting resources away from critical services including clinical care.
“While the federal government continues to promote its aged care reform package, the reality is that it only contributes an additional $500 million to the system over the next five years,” he said.
With more than 1.3 million people receiving aged care across the country, either in residential facilities or via home and community care packages, Mr Kobelke claimed the money “won’t go as far as the government would have us believe”.
“Funding for the workforce supplement is not new and isn’t affordable, particularly for smaller providers. We think this funding should flow to all providers so they can support their workforce without unnecessary requirements.”
Mr Kobelke added West Australians had “felt the brunt” of the inadequacies of the current aged care system for many years because of the particular issues facing the state.
“WA faces many unique circumstances, in terms of our size and remoteness, our strong economy and our workforce shortages, all of which have a very significant impact on our age care system.
“However, the sector is also filled with dedicated and hardworking individuals, and I have the utmost confidence in our facilities and workforce to continue delivering quality services to older West Australians.”
