Call to boost aged care workers wages to save sector

Australia’s aged care sector is “seriously on its knees” with one big issue driving the industry’s demise.

Australia’s aged care homes were failing before the Covid-19 pandemic swept through killing more than 1700 elderly residents and leaving thousands more infected.

Frail residents were locked in their rooms for weeks, denied visitors and catastrophic staff shortages meant they weren’t showered for days, fed properly or even given their medicines.

Last year a damning Royal Commission found the industry “neglected” elderly people, was “a sad and shocking system that diminishes Australia as a nation” and was “unkind and uncaring”.

Commissioners Richard Tracey and Lynelle Briggs said care was substandard and unsafe and staff were “underpaid, undervalued and insufficiently trained” and called for between $2 billion and $20 billion in extra funding.

A News Corp investigation found aged care homes currently receive an average $93,000 per resident per year but we can’t track how that is spent.

Providers claim they are going bust but some nursing home owners flaunt prestige cars including Maseratis and live in multimillion-dollar mansions, while others hide their assets offshore. Many homes are owned by overseas private equity firms.

Royal Commissioners Richard Tracey and Lynelle Briggs during the federal government's Royal Commission for Aged Care Quality and Safety. Picture: AAP

Health Services Union National Secretary Lloyd Williams said the sector was “seriously on its knees” and the single biggest issue was how to stop workers leaving the industry.

Wages needed to be lifted from $22 per hour to $29 and a proper career structure be put in place to attract people, he said.

“Around 70 per cent of workers are casuals or work part-time hours,” Mr Williams said. “Some are doing multiple jobs to eke out a living. That’s why we can’t fill a quarter of the shifts in aged care and why residents are lying in bed with soiled clothing. It’s a deplorable situation.”

A United Workers Unions survey found staff morale is so low more than three in four workers intend to leave the industry within five years.

The Fair Work Commission is currently investigating a bid for a pay rise for workers, the Morrison Government is not supporting this and has instead offered two one off payments of $400 to aged care workers.

Labor has said it will put in a submission to the Fair Work Commission supporting a permanent wage rise if it wins the election.

Meanwhile around 100,000 people are waiting for an aged care package to cover the cost of cleaners, gardeners and carers so they can age in their own home.

Wait times for top level home care packages are up to two years long and providers take more than a third of the money in administration fees.

Health Services Union National Secretary Lloyd Williams. Picture: Supplied

Aged and Community Services Australia CEO Paul Sadler, who represents not for profit, church and charitable providers supported a lift in workers wages, but also wants an increase in government subsidies for covering infection prevention.

Sean Rooney from Leading Aged Services Australia supports a lift in wages and wants the Government to set up a new Covid co-ordination centre to make sure the sector was properly resourced and ready for any future waves.

Currently aged care residents who go public about their poor care are getting booted out of their homes and whistle blower staff are banned from speaking to the media.

Aged Care Crisis spokeswoman Lynda Saltarelli said an integrated, independent and supported complaints system must be set up.

Providers must also be vetted by regional aged care managers before being allowed to provide services to that community, she said.

Aged Care Minister Senator Richard Colbeck has been heavily criticised for his poor management of the Covid-19 pandemic and had to apologise for going to the cricket instead of fronting a parliamentary inquiry into the aged care crisis.

Aged Care Crisis spokeswoman Lynda Saltarelli. Picture: Supplied

Aged Care Matters Director Sarah Russell said the pandemic has highlighted the “systematic failures in the aged care sector”.

The Government’s lack of planning led to unnecessary deaths in homes, she said.

Advocacy groups like Wounds Australia said the Government could save itself up to $1.5 billion if it adopted its 11 points, which include proper training for wound management.

Dietitians Australia said just providing better quality food can help heal wounds and save on bandages.

Last month News Corp revealed some providers are spending as little as $4 a day on food per person, with people going hungry.

CEO Robert Hunt said a $10 Government food supplement introduced following the Royal Commission’s report was not always being spent on food, but on staying afloat with many struggling to make ends meet with the increased spending on infection control.

Stewart Brown, a chartered accountancy firm, found that more than 56 per cent of facilities were operating at a loss last year.

Despite promising $17.7 billion of extra funding for aged care in response to the Royal Commission major reforms including an independent pricing authority are not yet in place.

COALITION

*pledged to spend $17.7 billion on aged care reform over five years

*won’t support a permanent wage rise for workers instead offered two one off $400 bonus payments for aged care workers

*Introduced a surge workforce during the pandemic then called in the ADF called in for Covid

*investing $6.5 billion for an additional 80,000 home care packages to support senior Australians who choose to remain in their own home -40,000 in 2021-22, another 40,000 in 2022-23.

LABOR

*support a wage rise for aged care workers in the Fair Work Commission

*supports minimum staffing levels in residential aged care

*promised to reduce the home care package waiting list so more people can stay in their homes for longer.

*wants transparency and accountability of funding to aged care

*supports independent measurement and public reporting of aged care

*will ensure every residential aged care facility has adequate personal protective equipment.

*better training for staff, including on infection control.

*better surge workforce strategy.

Originally published as Call to boost aged care workers wages to save sector