The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has released a series of recommendations to protect front line workers and fix the “broken aged care system”.
The four-step plan, developed in partnership with the Health Services Union, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the United Workers Union calls for the following changes:
- Mandated minimum staffing levels and required mix of skills and qualifications in every residential facility, over every shift.
- Transparency and accountability for Government funding.
- Mandated training requirements (including infection control and ongoing professional development) accessible to all staff and paid by employer.
- Government funding is required to be increased, linked to the provision of care and the direct employment of permanent staff with decent pay and enough hours to live on.
“In order to create a system which gives older Australians quality care, respect and dignity we need to protect the rights of the working people who care for them,” said ACTU President Michele O’Neil.
“Minimum staffing levels and a regulated mix of skills on every shift in every facility is essential for improving the quality of care delivered to older Australians.”
