Older Australians need and deserve quality aged care
But to deliver this, Australia's aged care system needs to be reformed - and there has been no agreement yet about how to deliver meaningful reform across the industry.
That's why the federal government asked the Productivity Commission to investigate the critical issues affecting aged care and to make suggestions about how to fix it. The Commission has released a draft report which gives an indication of what its recommendations will be.
Caring for Older Australians draft report
Though very comprehensive and groundbreaking in some ways, the QNU is concerned the Commission’s draft report fails to adequately address a number of important issues which must be resolved if we are to provide older Australians with the nursing they need and deserve.
So we are directly asking the Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mr Mark Butler, to commit to delivering four key priorities for meaningful aged care reform.
Help older Australians get the nursing they need and deserve. Send Minister Butler an email asking him for his commitment to delivering meaningful reform in aged care.
Dear Minister Butler
I acknowledge your recent participation in the long-overdue discussion around how our aged care system will be reformed.
Like you, I am hopeful that such discussion will identify how meaningful and sustainable reform can be achieved in the sector.
Sadly, the Productivity Commission’s draft report into the aged care system fails to adequately acknowledge a defining issue of this debate – that quality aged care needs nursing.
It is obvious that a great deal more work needs to be done to ensure older Australians receive the nursing they need and deserve.
To keep quality nursing in aged care, it is critical that your government delivers on the four priorities of the Because We Care campaign:
- Ensuring the right balance of skills and nursing hours so that nursing and care staff can provide quality care for every resident.
- Fair pay for aged care nurses and care staff who are paid up to $300 per week less than nurses in other sectors.
- The development of a robust regulation framework for all staff delivering nursing in aged care.
- A guarantee that taxpayer funding is used for nursing and personal care for each resident.
For all our sakes, I urge you to fulfil these four priorities. Without nursing, a quality and sustainable aged care system will remain out of reach for our older Australians.
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