Calls for urgent action as Covid deaths soar in aged care

New Health Department figures have revealed 164 aged-care residents died from Covid-19 in the past two weeks, prompting calls for urgent government action to protect the elderly.

With 5610 active cases in aged care facilities across the country, there are calls for urgent government action to protect the elderly.

New Health Department figures have revealed 164 aged-care residents died from Covid-19 in the past two weeks and the presence of 5610 active cases in facilities across the country, prompting calls for urgent government action to protect the elderly.

The federal Coalition demanded on Friday that Anthony Albanese “step in” and provide “real and tangible solutions to protect older Australians in care” after the new data recorded 120 resident deaths and 6306 combined resident and staff infections since December 29.

Since the publication of the last update on December 23, the total number of aged-care resident deaths has risen to 4612 from 4448 – an increase of 164 – prompting opposition health and aged care spokeswoman Ann Ruston to warn Labor not to “dismiss the ­disproportionate level of risk from contracting Covid for older Australians”.

“Sensible measures, like supplying PPE and RATs to residential aged care are important, but the tragic statistics show that it is not enough,” she said.

The opposition also argued on Friday that the government’s extra staffing requirements to provide more nurses and more minutes of care for residents were putting undue financial strain on nursing home operators. Senator Ruston said the government was breaking its promise to reform aged care, after a new report found seven in 10 nursing homes were operating at a financial loss.

“The task of maintaining and sustaining aged-care facilities that meet expectations and are affordable and equitable, whether you live in the inner city or out in the regions, must be an absolute priority of the government,” she said. “We have serious concerns about the lack of support the government is providing to the sector to assist them with the burden of their expedited workforce requirements, which could have devastating consequences, particularly for residents in rural, regional and remote Australia.”

The new analysis by StewartBrown of the financial performance of nursing homes finds operators lost an average $21.29 a bed a day in the September quarter last year, a significant deterioration from a year earlier when the average loss was $7.30. The situation has worsened since the June quarter, when average losses of $14.67 a bed a day prompted warnings of a sector in crisis.

Jim Chalmers said the sector was receiving “a lot more help from the new federal government” but acknowledged it was a key challenge for the budget.