‘Inadequate’ support for aged care as COVID crisis continues

The surge workforce organised by the federal government to support Omicron-stricken aged care homes has been labelled “inadequate” and is covering only a fraction of the weekly staffing shortfall, prompting the sector to renew its calls for urgent support from the defence forces.

The lack of staff has left aged care homes struggling to meet the basic needs of elderly residents, including providing fresh jugs of water, as nearly 1200 facilities across the country battle outbreaks.

In the first five weeks of this year, there were 533 coronavirus-related deaths among aged care residents.Credit: Louie Douvis

Nationally, in the past week, 1605 aged-care residents have contracted COVID-19 and 149 have died.

Sean Rooney, chief executive of aged care peak body Leading Age Services Australia, said despite ongoing talks with the federal government, there were providers who were struggling to get help.

“What’s been provided is inadequate,” he said.

“There are still services with outbreaks right now who are calling for access to the surge workforce, and are being told that that workforce isn’t available to the level required, or at all, in some locations.”

Over the course of the pandemic, surge staff have filled more than 80,000 shifts in facilities affected by outbreaks. A report from the Australian Aged Care Collaboration said that equated to about 1250 shifts filled each week.

But the report said up to a quarter of shifts – about 140,000 – were going unfilled every week, putting immense pressure on a system struggling to cope.

Carolyn Smith, national aged care director for the United Workers Union, said aged care staff “feel forgotten” by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“The need is so great that in some parts of Australia, they’re having trouble getting water jugs to people in time,” Ms Smith said.

More than 200,000 workers in aged care services will receive a cash bonus within weeks from the federal government. Mr Morrison has promised up to $400 in a wage top-up to aged care workers this month and the same amount again in early May.

In the first five weeks of this year, there have been 533 coronavirus-related deaths among aged care residents. Last year there were 282 COVID deaths in aged care, with most occurring from October.

As of February 4, data from the Department of Health shows 5439 aged care residents and 6541 staff were COVID-19 positive in active outbreaks across 1176 facilities.

Last week, Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the government was considering sending in the Defence Force to help, two weeks after providers and unions jointly called for urgent assistance from the military.

Mr Morrison on Thursday said he asked Mr Dutton and Health Minister Greg Hunt to work on a plan for using Defence Force personnel in aged care as he promised “further support”.

On Sunday Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said while defence personnel “stand ready to assist”, the government was providing support through organising a surge workforce of private workers.

“We’re doing absolutely everything we can to bring in the workforce that is needed,” she said on ABC’s Insiders.

But Mr Rooney said there was still no firm plan from the government on how it would support the sector through workers in the face of future outbreaks despite the fact the sector had raised the issue two weeks ago.

“We’re still waiting to have those discussions,” he said. “We need to sit down [with the government] and come up with a more effective program so we’re not in a situation again.”

Catholic Health Australia, one of the largest non-government providers of residential aged care, also wants to see immediate measures to address workforce issues as the surge workforce struggles to meet demand.

Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck will face continued pressure to resign.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Labor’s health and ageing spokesman Mark Butler said the federal government needs a workforce strategy to avert the “full-blown crisis” happening in aged care.

When Parliament resumes this week, Labor will intensify its push for Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck to resign.

Ms Smith said Senator Colbeck should be in no doubt the sector remains in crisis.

“The continuing chaos within these facilities is hard to imagine, and it has put residents at grave risk and aged care workers at breaking point,” she said.

Tens of thousands of aged care staff and residents remain vulnerable to the virus as health experts have repeatedly stressed the importance of booster doses for the best protection against serious illness and death.

Official data showed that of the 190,438 residents in aged care facilities, about 20,000 had not had a second dose or had not been vaccinated at all.

Of the 169,434 residents who have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, 128,701 had received boosters as of February 2, leaving 40,733 double-vaccinated residents without up-to-date protection.

An estimate from aged care peak body Aged and Community Services Australia found about 30 to 40 per cent of aged care staff in NSW had received boosters.

A second round of vaccine in-reach clinics at facilities was launched late last week for residents who missed out on boosters in the first round, and additional pop-up clinics are being set up to help workers get vaccinated, a Department of Health spokesperson said.

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