Aged-care system on verge of collapse, says Sussan Ley
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley says Anthony Albanese should cut his holiday short as the nation faces ‘the actual collapse of the aged-care system as we know it’.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley says Anthony Albanese should cut his holiday short to deal with an unfolding crisis as the nation faces “the actual collapse of the aged-care system as we know it”.
Ms Ley accused Aged Care Minister Anika Wells of being “missing in action” after The Australian revealed projections from the peak nursing professional body that it could take five to 10 years for the sector to recruit enough staff to meet the Prime Minister’s target for 24/7 nurses in residential aged-care facilities.
Australian College of Nursing chief executive Kylie Ward said there was “absolutely no way” the industry would meet Labor’s July 1 deadline, and more providers could be forced to shut down under the legislated requirement to have at least one registered nurse on site at all times.
Following the closure of three Sydney Wesley Mission homes this week, Nationals MP Keith Pitt said his Queensland electorate was experiencing similar shutdowns, with a major Blue Care residential facility set to close in May amid workforce constraints.
Ms Ley said Mr Albanese’s targets of 24/7 nurses and mandated care minutes were not in line with timelines set out by the aged-care royal commission and called for him to “accept responsibility” for the problems.
Mr Albanese is on leave and due to return to work on Sunday.
“It is time for the Albanese government to put a hand up and accept responsibility for this and deal with the crisis that they have created here,” she said.
“The Aged Care Minister is not up to it and she is gone missing in action so the Prime Minister needs to cut his holiday short and come and deal with the crisis.
“He sowed the seeds of the crisis that is now unfolding in aged care. The consequences are absolutely devastating.
“Hundreds of Australians, the most vulnerable, are being kicked out of their homes. We now have closures in Sydney, we have closures in Perth and the nurses association is saying that they are worried about even more shutdowns. There are concerns out there today about the actual collapse of the aged-care system as we know it.”
As the sector grapples with a shortfall of workers and a deteriorating financial outlook, a number of aged-care facilities have been forced to close their doors.
The sector is scrambling to implement a suite of reforms including mandated minutes of care per resident, quality and safety standards, and full-time nursing requirements as it adjusts to a new funding model bought in last October as recommended by the aged-care royal commission.
Mr Pitt said the new reforms were being felt acutely in regional areas, where staff shortages were rampant across a number of sectors.
The management of Blue Care recently wrote to Mr Pitt to inform him of its decision to shut down its Millbank facility in Bundaberg, citing ongoing financial viability problems and workforce constraints as a major reasons for the closure.
Mr Pitt told The Weekend Australian that the Coalition had warned Labor about potential impacts its new targets would have on the viability of residential facilities across the country but specifically the regions but the warnings “went unheeded”.
“There are already announced closures of aged-care facilities as a result of Labor’s decisions,” Mr Pitt said.
“The question that must be answered by minister Anika Wells is how will these beds be retained or replaced and what magic bucket will you be finding 10,000-plus aged-care nurses in?
“The impact on those seniors in now closing facilities can’t be underestimated. For them, their families and local communities, it’s a devastating outcome.”
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