Labor plan to boost aged care workforce

Aged care providers will receive $1,000 per re-entry nurse to assist with the costs of re-training and re-skilling.

Federal Labor’s plan to get 1,000 extra qualified nurses into residential aged care will be open to both registered and enrolled nurses.

Labor says the expansion of aged care services around the country is at risk due to the lack of qualified staff, with one major 2004 study saying there were nurse vacancies at 25% of residential aged care facilities.

The survey also found 29% of nurses did not expect to be working in aged care in three years time.

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations skills in demand lists indicate a shortage of aged care registered nurses in all States and Territories apart from the Australian Capital Territory.

New vocational places for personal care workers will be rolled out on the advice of Skills Australia, a high level group of experts able to provide advice on current and future skills shortages.

Personal care workers are the frontline of aged care service delivery in both residential and community care.

Skills Australia will focus on providing additional workers for industries of national importance.

New places will be allocated by Industry Skills Councils, through a tender process, to individual employers who are prepared to support workforce development.

The Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council will work with aged care providers to determine their training needs and match those with training places.

This will give aged care providers an incentive to provide training to existing personal care workers who do not have qualifications.

Greater qualifications will contribute to improvements in quality of aged care services.