CEDA recommendations will address workforce shortages and improve care

Sandra Hills OAM

Benetas CEO

As an aged care sector, we are seeing first-hand the impacts of workforce issues on our ability to employ and retain quality and credentialed aged care workers.

Like many across the industry, we are concerned about the ability of the sector to manage the current and future needs of older Australians, against a backdrop of an ageing population.

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) recently released its Duty of Care: Aged-Care Sector Running on Empty report, highlighting three recommendations that could meet these challenges head on.

The recommendations call for:

• An essential skills visa to allow aged care workers to migrate with residency opportunities.
• A user-pays system for aged-care clients who meet certain income or asset thresholds.
• Prioritising aged care worker housing in regional areas and options for rental assistance.

These are sensible measures that will help attract and retain dedicated and qualified staff, while also improving the level of care for residents.

At Benetas, we have previously called for the introduction of a means-tested user-pay structure to improve aged care services in Australia.

Ultimately, asking those who can afford it to pay more for care will assist aged care providers, particularly those in the not-for-profit space, to employ more staff and improve existing services.

In relation to housing, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on the importance of the aged care sector in reducing the spread of the virus.

It wasn’t easy and it still isn’t.

To help our staff during this difficult time, Benetas converted four unused Bendigo accommodation units into staff accommodation, which continue to be used today.

This helped aged care workers deliver these important services during a particularly stressful time, but it can’t be left up to providers to tackle this issue alone.

We need more assistance to help them find suitable living conditions close to their workplaces. This need is particularly dire in regional areas given the distances some workers are having to travel.

A situation that is not sustainable and can lead to them leaving the sector to find more convenient employment.

The number of staff leaving has, in some cases, led to some providers being forced to leave aged care beds empty or simply not take on new home and community care clients. This is unacceptable, especially considering the rate at which our society is ageing.

Benetas is very much in favour of a specific visa for aged care staff. We know the number of qualified aged care staff currently working outside Australia is considerable.

If we’re able to help ease the stress and delays of the immigration process by fast-tracking their relocation while offering real residency opportunities, this would go a long way to improving staffing levels.

We fully support the CEDA report and encourage governments to consider these options. It’s essential that we take a collaborative approach to address these issues so we can support the future needs of our ageing population.