Aged care needs more staff and better workloads
Last year RN Shelley Stevens reluctantly left aged care after eight years in the industry to take up a position in Queensland Health. She left because of the poor wages and conditions and the increasing demands placed on employees.
"I have a mortgage to pay, and the wages and conditions meant it was extremely difficult to get by," she says.
"To me aged care is like the poor cousin of the public system.
"In Queensland Health there’s half the workload and half the patients, but the same number of staff and better pay."
Shelley was increasingly concerned about the workloads and responsibilities placed on all levels of nursing and care staff in her aged care facility.
"I didn’t like that while our workload continued to grow, our employer continued to cut nursing numbers, particularly RNs," she says.
"As staff left, their jobs weren’t advertised and those remaining were forced to make do.
"Staff were often left to work outside their scope of practice with no support or training.
"This was a frustrating and depressing situation for all involved."
Shelley says if employers and the government were genuine about improving the situation in aged care they would move to immediately increase wages and improve workloads.
"Being able to support the most vulnerable in such a challenging stage of their lives—it’s such a privilege and a responsibility," she says.
"The residents are like family and we, the nursing and care staff, want to give them the very best possible care.
"Unfortunately the current situation means both the residents and nurses are suffering.
"The government’s new initiative to keep acutely ill elderly in the nursing home to free up hospital beds will only cause even more problems for the industry.
"People won’t receive adequate care due to the current and worsening low staffing levels and the lack of doctors on call.
"Before any more initiatives like this are implemented we need more staff and better workloads."
In pictures: Because We Care Day of Action
In pictures: Because We Care campaign
Shortcuts: Because We Care about aged care
