KIM LANDERS, ABC RADIO AM HOST:
Aged care is on the Albanese Government's parliamentary priority list. There'll be a new funding model and measures to lift the standards of care, including having a full time registered nurse on duty in every facility, and giving every resident a minimum of 215 minutes of care each day. It all comes as COVID cases once again surge. The Federal Minister for Aged Care is Anika Wells.
Minister, what's the extent of the COVID outbreaks in residential aged care nationally at the moment?
ANIKA WELLS, MINISTER FOR AGED CARE:
Nationally at the moment Kim, we have 983 outbreaks in residential facilities.
LANDERS:
How many residents? How many staff infected?
WELLS:
Just over 6000 residents and 3250 staff.
LANDERS:
So given those staff shortages in particular, that's a lot of people out of the system. The latest snapshot that I was looking at from the Department showed that just 24 defence personnel were currently deployed to help with those shortages. Are you now extending that program?
WELLS:
We're going to extend it until the 30th of September just to make sure that we get through this winter wave.
LANDERS:
Still, only a couple of dozen Defence Force personnel being used. I notice that the Department has also been helping to fill staff shortages with agency workers. How many shifts did that program have to fill in the last week?
WELLS:
The surge workforce filled 2082 shifts through their arrangements last week, and then the ADF sat along the top of that. The ADF have generously agreed to put an additional 220 general duties personnel into aged care to get us through this winter wave, alongside the clinician led teams that were already circulating around the country.
LANDERS:
The unions have been saying, though, that despite those efforts to fill shifts, it's barely a drop in the ocean when you consider that there's a workforce of 350,000 people. Are facilities not wanting to admit that they need help, or can you simply not find the staff to help fill all of the shifts?
WELLS:
We simply cannot find the staff. People are doing double shifts. People are working every single day without breaking - what is an incredibly stressful environment. These shortages are not new. These shortages speak to the years of neglect by the previous government. And so by the same token, while I've got to do everything I can to get us through this winter wave, which is bringing up the numbers of the ADF with the generosity of the Defence Department allowing us to do that. My broader work is to reform aged care and make sure that we get through in a way that the system is sustainable and that we don't face this again next winter, which is why…
LANDERS:
Yes, sorry. Let's talk a little bit more about those workers, because there was a recent estimate that the industry is short 35,000 workers, and that the sector's estimating that it's going to need an extra 20,000 staff on top of that to meet these new requirements that Labor is introducing, to have every resident get 215 care minutes a day and to have a registered nurse on shift 24/7. So where are all the workers going to come from?
WELLS:
Which is why we need to give aged care workers a pay rise, which was one of our commitments. And we acted within the first couple of days on the job to write to Fair Work, get their permission for us to put in a submission supporting a pay rise for aged care workers, because we need to value these care workers more than they are currently at the moment. They can get paid more stacking shelves at Woolies when this is such an important sector.
LANDERS:
But are there any signs that there's been a stampede of people wanting to suddenly become aged care workers?
WELLS:
Well, we're still going through the Fair Work process. Our submission isn't due until the 8th of August. The Commissioner will be considering those submissions after further hearings in September. So that's what I'm saying. This isn't something we're going to solve this fortnight. This isn't something we'll solve this winter. This is going to take a while to turn the Queen Mary around. No one is under any illusions about that.
LANDERS:
Let's talk a little bit more about those care standards. What if an aged care provider doesn't have a registered nurse on staff at all times? Or if residents don't get those minimum care minutes, what sort of penalties are going to apply?
WELLS:
The first thing I'd say is that the 215 care minutes is currently two years away, so there is plenty of notice for providers to plan ahead and work out how they're going to increase resources. And that's why the new funding model, which I am introducing into the Parliament Wednesday morning, is our first morning’s worth of business, aged care reform. The new funding model will start on 1 October, giving two years’ clear lead time before the 215 care minute requirement kicks in.
LANDERS:
But the industry is still keen to know what penalties might apply if they don't meet it.
WELLS:
Yes, and at this stage, it looks like the 24/7 nursing provision will be paying an additional money allocation to providers for that 24/7 nursing requirement, and where they are not providing nurses 24/7 and cannot provide any reasonable explanation as to why, that money will be withdrawn for them for the for the next month and so on.
LANDERS:
Alright, Minister, thank you very much for speaking with AM.
WELLS:
It's been a pleasure, Kim.
LANDERS:
The Federal Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells.