Aged care residents not getting enough care time with staff, as providers blame staff shortages
The majority of aged care homes in Australia are not meeting their care targets as a workforce crisis bites hard. See how Tasmania shapes up.
National
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Exclusive: Six in 10 aged care homes are not spending enough time caring for residents according to the latest figures, with some providers so desperate to meet targets they’ve resorted to flying staff in and out from cities.
One recruitment agency, Healthcare Australia, is offering gift cards, free travel and accommodation and an hourly rate of up to $150 for nurses prepared to commit to a minimum six-week contract in areas where demand is high.
The competition for nurses has skyrocketed following Labor’s aged care reforms, which stipulate residents should receive an average of 215 minutes of care per day, including 44 minutes of direct registered nurse care, a recommendation of the Royal Commission.
The latest quarterly results covering the period April to June show there was a slight improvement, but 60 per cent of homes are still not meeting either their registered nurse care minute target or their total care minute target.
Our searchable table below shows the results of every aged care home across the country, including the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
In an open letter to providers, Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells issued a warning about performance, saying providers had received a significant uplift in funding since October 2022, to help pay for staff.
Watch the video above to learn more about how to choose an aged care home.
New South Wales
In NSW, the data shows residents at Lachlan Lodge in Hillston, west of Griffith, received the lowest number of care minutes with a registered nurse that they were entitled to in the country. However, it was well over its target for overall total care minutes.
Residents at St Joseph’s Aged Care Facility in Kensington, Sydney, received the lowest number of total care minutes they were entitled to in the state, and also did not meet its registered nurse target.
Registered nurse Aneta Piaskowska, originally from Poland, moved to Hillston, 650km inland, to work as Director of Care at Lachlan Lodge.
She said they needed three registered nurses to cover 24/7 shifts, but it was hard to attract people. A new registered nurse from New Zealand is starting in two weeks, which will help boost their nurse care minutes, which are the lowest in the country.
“Small towns are struggling to find nurses,” Ms Piaskowska said.
Victoria
Analysis of the data shows residents at Wintringham Gilgunya Village, in Melbourne’s Coburg, received the lowest number of care minutes with a registered nurse that they were entitled to in the state.
However, it was well over its target for total care minutes.
Residents at Graceland Manor in Elsternwick received the lowest number of total care minutes they were entitled to in the state, giving residents just over half the time they should have spent with them. It also did not meet its registered nurse target. Graceland Manor said the wrong figures were sent to the department.
Dr Tanvi Dalal, CEO of FicusBridge supporting Graceland Manor with its mandatory care minute reporting, said they were able to uncover that Graceland had met their care minute requirements. However, these did not reflect correctly due to their own reporting error. “There is still confusion on understanding the targets, how to report and what to report, leading to errors,” said Dr Dalal.
South Australia
Residents at Mt View Homes Inc in Booleroo Centre, south of Port Augusta, received the lowest number of care minutes with a registered nurse that they were entitled to in the state.
The home had improved compared with the previous quarter.
It had also met its target for total care minutes and residents are also supported by an experienced enrolled nurse, who has worked there many years.
Residents at Infinite Care-run Christies Beach Residential Care Services, south of Adelaide, received the lowest number of total care minutes they were entitled to in the state. A spokeswoman said the group spent $10m on agency and overtime workers to improve its care minutes and all facilities were trending upwards.
Queensland
Data shows residents at TriCare Pimpama Aged Care Residence received the lowest number of care minutes with a registered nurse that they were entitled to in the state. Residents at TriCare Point Vernon Aged Care Residence received the lowest number of total care minutes they were entitled to in the state.
A TriCare spokesperson said it was always looking for ways to improve. “We remain committed to our mission of empowering seniors to live vibrant and fulfilling lives in our aged care residences and retirement living communities,” the spokesperson said.
Search the table and check how your aged care facility performs (NB: WA, Tasmania, NT and ACT data also included below)
Aged Care Industry Association CEO Peter Hoppo blamed global workforce shortages for why some providers were failing to meet targets. He said the recruitment challenge was not just impacting providers in the regions, but also in the cities, where aged care facilities were competing with other health sectors such as hospitals.
“I have heard of aged care organisations where they’ve arranged for staff from their metro facilities to actually fly up and spend time in a regional home,” Mr Hoppo said.
Rebecca Pacey from the group Infinite Care aged care group, said like many providers they had been working hard to improve care minute performance, which has “necessitated the recruitment of a large contingent of international registered nurse hires at substantial cost”.
In the last 18 months Infinite has hired from the UK, Ireland, India, Philippines, New Zealand and elsewhere.
She said the shortfall of nurses in Australia is set to grow over the next 12 years, with an estimated 79,473 nurses needed to meet demand by 2035.
A Department of Aged Care spokeswoman said there has been a steady increase in care minutes delivered since it became mandatory on October 1, last year.
Analysis of the data shows there is a disproportionately low performance around care minutes in metropolitan areas, even though it is understood that workforce constraints are generally greater in regional, rural and remote areas and despite a 58 per cent increase in government funding since September 2022.
Jenny Deer is a prime example of the extreme lengths aged care providers are going to recruit staff to small Australian country towns.
She is the CEO of an aged care facility, but over the past two years, she’s also had to become a landlady, driving instructor and a taxi driver.
Due to the global shortage of registered nurses, the only way Ms Deer can get a registered nurse to come to Booleroo, 260km from Adelaide, is to hire from overseas.
Because there is no accommodation in town, she has hosted them in her own home.
And with no public transport, she is also teaching them to drive.
For one new nurse from Nepal, whose husband works in Adelaide, she has been driving her to the city on weekends – a three hour journey each way – so they can see each other.
“There are 300 people in Booleroo and no hotel, one shop and we have to make our own social life,” Ms Deer said.
“It is a beautiful place to live, but to keep my staff happy I have had to try and create a community for them.”
Ms Deer had one registered nurse live with her for eight months and another for four weeks. She has recently hired a registered nurse from Singapore, but she still needs more. She’s moved two registered nurses into independent living units, previously occupied by ageing people.
Eventually she hopes to build staff accommodation on site to solve the housing issue.
At the moment, residents at Mt View Homes, a 30-bed aged care facility, get the lowest number of registered nurse care minutes they are entitled to in the state, despite Ms Deer’s admirable efforts.
“I also advertise for nurses on the grey nomad’s page who are travelling through the area, and have got nurses short term that way,” Ms Deer said.
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