In 2014, the federal government estimated there would be ashortfall of approximately 85,000 nurses by 2025, and 123,000 nurses by 2030.(File photo)
For more than a year, Graeme Sloane has been looking for registered nurses to work at the aged care home he manages in regional NSW,to no avail.
We started to pay people significantly above the awardrates, without success, he said.
We've put in place a referral program,but our main focus has been to look overseas.
Even then, success has been limited for theCootamundra facility, Adina Care.
We were able to get one applicant, but the approval from the Commonwealth to allow that person to come to Australia under an appropriate visa was knocked back because our paperwork had a minor problem, Mr Sloane said.
Mr Sloane said the hurdles he wasfacing were replicated across the country.
He feared the problem would become even more apparent mid-year when a federal government requirement to have registered nurses (RNs) employed at aged care facilities 24/7 came into effect.
The requirement stems from one of 148 recommendations made in the final report in theRoyal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Hard to fill
Mr Sloane said his 61 bed-facility was already meeting the requirement, but the industry as a whole would struggle to find enough RNs.
The government setting standards and timelines to achieve those standards is a great thing, but as a nation we do not have enough people to meet those standards, he said.
RNs, including for aged care, community health, emergency care and mental health, are on the federal government's skilled occupation list.
A 2014 federal government report into Australia's future nursing workforce projected shortfalls of about 85,000 nurses by 2025.
Mr Sloane said the Royal Commission, while important, had also contributed to the current shortage.
I think a lot of people felt very disappointed with the aged care system and I think a number of registered nurses don't want to work in that system, he said.
A large number that were working in that system have become disillusioned and are seeking workelsewhere.
More city-country divide
Under the new regulations, rural and regional aged care homes with fewer than 30 beds will be able to apply for an exemption to the RN requirement.
Associate Professor Maree Bernoth is an aged care expert based at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga and gave evidence at the Royal Commission.
Maree Bernoth says the government needs to support regional aged care facilities so they are vibrant and viable.(Supplied: Charles Sturt University)
She said there was a risk some facilities would reduce the number of beds they had in order to apply for the exemption.
That idea of 30 beds needs to be thought through again, so that there's so much more flexibility and viability for our rural facilities, she said.
But Dr Bernoth said she was heartened by a government pledge to remain informed about how the new staffing protocols were working.
Mr Sloane said the standard of care would be substantially less in regional facilities that did not have RNs than those in big cities.
While Mr Sloane continued to search for more registered nurses, he planned on upskilling carers he had already employed, but said it was no short-term fix.
Even if I get someone today who's willing to do that, it'll take us two-and-a-half years to get that person to the point where they're registered, he said.
Graeme Sloane speaking with two residents of the Cootamundra aged care home he manages.(Supplied: Adina Care)
The Department of Health and Aged Care said facilities that were unable to recruit RNs would not have to reduce beds to meet exemption requirements, and that the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission would take a risk based and proportionate approach to regulating the new requirement.
A department spokesperson said facilities wanting an exemption would need to prove they had taken steps to ensure clinic care needs were met.
They said the department would seek advice from the commission before approving exemptions.
Workforce shortages in some areas will mean some facilities will not be able to meet the 24/7 requirement, they said.
The spokesperson said the federal government was exploring ways to bolster the aged care workforce in the long term, including skilled migration pathways and supporting nursing students to consider aged care as a career choice.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-22/aged-care-registered-nurse-concerns-regional-shortage/101997936
