Nurses call for tighter regulation of nursing homes

The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) wants the Federal Government to tighten regulation of aged care facilities after the closure of a nursing home at Melbourne’s north.

About 80 residents of the Bridgewater Aged Care Facility at Roxburgh Park will be relocated over the next month, after administrators were unable to sell the home.

More than 100 staff at the home will not be paid their superannuation.

Yvonne Chaperon from the ANF said the Federal Government must keep a closer check on the finances of aged care homes.

“They’ve got to tighten up what happens with the money that they give to these nursing homes,” she said.

“They need to audit these nursing homes financially on a three monthly basis to see where that money is being spent, because it’s not going where it should.”

The ANF is seeking legal advice about how to recover lost entitlements.

“They’re running them for profit. Where’s that profit going? Because it’s certainly not going back in to staff and looking after staff entitlements,” she said.

Administrator, Stephen Longley, said the staff will miss out on $500,000 in superannuation.

“So for the staff at Bridgewater, their entitlements are within the thresholds, so they’ll get all of their entitlements, other than unpaid superannuation, for the six months prior to their appointment.”