When the frail and elderly are deprived of skilled care, it’s a lose-lose situation all round.
The NSW Government has joined other state governments and removed the legal requirement to have registered nurses on duty after hours in aged care homes with high-needs residents, against the recommendations of a Parliamentary inquiry.
People do not get sick, have falls and other major health incidents only during office hours.
And Assistants in Nursing (AINs) can’t be expected to make critical medical evaluations on their own.
First-hand experience
As an aged care physiotherapist, I’ve seen first-hand the vital role that RN’s perform, overseeing medication, carrying out medical procedures, providing palliative care and supporting other care staff.
My own mother was transferred to hospital late at night unnecessarily, causing her great distress and deterioration in her overall physical and mental health. She could have been assessed by an RN on duty, avoiding upset and disruption to an elderly person. Not to mention the additional cost of the ambulance and hospital admission.
According to Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA), the average government subsidy for an aged care resident is just $165 a day including nursing care and health services such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy. A hospital bed costs $1250 per patient per day. Plus the costs of often unnecessary tests. Who saves if our elderly are taken to emergency every time they fall ill?
Government cuts to hit hard
Operators really can’t be blamed. Government budget cuts are hitting hard. According to aged care specialists StewartBrown, 25 per cent of all of Australia’s aged care homes operate at a loss every day and another 25 per cent make an average of just $5 a day per resident. That is not sustainable. Think about it; a 50-bed home makes $25,000 a year. A 100-bed home makes just $50,000. No sensible business would take on this risk. Fortunately the not-for-profits do.
Even the most efficient and most profitable home only makes around $20 a day per resident. There is not much, if any, fat here.
Providers and staff pushed to the limit
Back in June, the then ACSA CEO Adj Prof John Kelly said continuing cuts had “stretched services to the limit and placed incredible strain on the aged care workforce. Aged care needs more funding and more staffing, not less.”
Brett Holmes, General Secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) summed it up when he said “Australia’s population aged 65 and older is projected to increase to 4.2 million in 2021. The government needs to start planning for this or we simply won’t cope.”
Surely now is the time to make sure our frail and vulnerable receive the care they deserve, 24/7?
