AGED CARE TIME BOMB

NURSES REVEAL SECTOR IS NOT READY FOR SECOND VIRUS WAVE

TASMANIA’S aged care sector is not equipped to cope with a second wave of corona virus, the nurses union says, with staffing levels in the industry at an all-timelow.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation state secretary Emily Shepherd gave evidence yesterday toast ate parliamentary committee investigating the response to the C OVID -19 pandemic.

“We have significant concerns about the aged care sector’s ability to respond,” Ms Shepherd told the Public Accounts Committee. “What we hear from the sector is that they’ re adequately prepared, and that’ s great. They are prepared on paper.

“We already know that staffing levels are at an all-timelow.”

Federal Opposition spokeswoman for ageing and seniors Julie Collins said she had grave doubts about the policing of the aged care sector’s readiness.

THERE are grave concerns about the aged-care system’s ability to cope with a new outbreak of corona virus because of low staffing levels, the nurses union says.

In evidence on Tuesday to a state parliamentary committee investigating the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian Nursing and Midwifery state secretary Emily Shepherd said while there had been assurances that the sector was ready to cope, her members had told her otherwise.

“We have significant concerns about the aged-care sector’s ability to respond,” she told the public accounts committee. “What we hear from the sector is that they’re adequately prepared and that’s great. They are prepared on paper.

“We know staffing levels are at an all-time low. There aren’t sufficient numbers of clinical staff to be able to support current residents in residential aged care ,” she said.

“We know, as we’ve seen in Victoria, that if there is a COVID-19 outbreak, there won’ t be sufficient numbers of staff to care for residents in residential aged care, which will mean that will bean additional workload on our public sector hospitals.

“Reports we’ ve heard from our IMF Victorian branch comrades are absolutely shocking about the state of some of the residents in residential aged care in Victoria and we would hate to see a

WE ALREADY KNOW THAT STAFFING LEVELS ARE AT AN ALL-TIME LOW. THERE AREN’T SUFFICIENT NUMBERS OF CLINICAL STAFF TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT CURRENT RESIDENTS IN RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE.

EMILY SHEPHERD

similar circumstance here in Tasmania.”

Ms Shepherd said comments by Scott Morrison and the nation’s Chief Health Officer attributing blame during the North-West outbreak were extremely unhelpful.

“At the time, it was just the lowest blow,” she said. “Our members were working incredibly hard, incredibly long hours and they were just absolutely at their wit’s end and to have the Prime Minister and the Chief Medical Officer going out making statements that weren’t backed up by evidence is just absolutely shocking.”

Ms Shepherd said as an example, staff at the NWRH found out their hospital was being closed when the Premier announced it at a media conference.

The opposition spokeswoman for ageing and seniors, Julie Collins, said she had grave doubts about the monitoring of the aged-care sector’s readiness for COVID-19.

“I’m very concerned when you’ve got a regulator that just calls people and says are you ready?

“And 99 per cent of (providers) say yes, then we move on and think that’s enough.

“It’s absolutely not enough and we’ve seen that from what’ s happened in NSW and Victoria ,” Ms Collins said.