Tasmania on the verge of ‘staffing crisis’, as support provider seeks untrained workers says union

A disability support provider has advertised for untrained workers to fill the gap left by furloughed staff, something the union says would compromise safety. DETAILS >>

TASMANIA is on the brink of a staffing crisis in the health, aged care and disability sectors, with providers growing more desperate and settling for unskilled staff, the Health and Community Services Union says.

HACSU secretary Tim Jacobson said the union was working with a Tasmanian disability provider which told employees in a staff memo it would be creating a register of untrained workers.

“One of the Covid challenges that we are preparing to manage is a shortage of support workers when they have been identified as close contacts,” the memo said.

A memo sent to staff advertises for unskilled disability workers. Pic: supplied

The basic criteria for being on the register was to be double vaccinated, be of good health and have a working with vulnerable people’s check.

The memo said the untrained worker would work under the direction of a certified support worker.

Mr Jacobson said it would be unsafe to allow untrained workers to work in the sector.

“The reality is disability work is not unskilled work, particularly in the context of residential disability,” Mr Jacobson said.

“Those clients require a high level of care that requires a high level of skill.

“It highlights the pressure employers at this point.”

Mr Jacobson said certain sectors were on the verge of crisis.

“We’re seeing this play out nationally not just in disability but in aged care,” Mr Jacobson said.

“We’re seeing it because what we’ve got is a high level of community transmission, the work force is affected by a high number of cases.

“We’ve got a looming staffing crisis across health, aged care and disability and we’re seeing that play out in disability,” Mr Jacobson said.

Tim Jacobson, State Secretary Health and Community Services Union. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

He said the government should have been better prepared.

“Disability is a federal responsibility,” Mr Jacobson said.

“They have left the disability sector on its own.

Mr Jacobson said that’s not the only pressure the sector has faced.

“We’ve had a significant number of calls not just from workers but employers, pleading with us to get the services they need, they haven’t been able to access decent numbers of PPE, and they weren’t prioritised when it came to tests,” Mr Jacobson said.

“They’ve been completely left to their own devices.”

An NDIS Commission spokesperson said all NDIS providers were required to comply with the NDIS code of conduct, which required providers to deliver services in a safe and competent manner.

“Registered NDIS providers must also ensure that key personnel and other workers in certain types of roles have a worker screening clearance that meets the requirements of the NDIS Practice Standards,” the spokesperson said.

“This helps ensure that key personnel and workers in these roles do not pose an unacceptable risk to the safety and wellbeing of NDIS participants.”