Staff must ‘ration’ care
Unions are calling for a review of staffing standards for residential aged care, after a survey of members found residents were worrying they are a burden to overworked staff.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) and E tu¯ made the call at a summit in Wellington yesterday.
A worker responding to a survey, carried out by the unions in late 2018, said residents didn’t report injuries to staff because they thought the carers were too busy.
‘‘In this case this has meant an assisted living resident had
David Wait, NZNO industrial adviser for aged care
infected wounds no-one knew about, which he later died from,’’ the worker said.
Nearly 1200 NZNO and E tu¯ members took part in the survey. About half were registered nurses. A report on the survey, published yesterday, said staffing levels were based on standards from 2005 but nowadays people were entering aged care much later in life.
That meant their needs were often more complex.
The standards were also voluntary, so rest homes could choose whether to meet the levels of staffing suggested, the report said. The unions want standards to be mandatory.
Primarily, employers allocated staff based on a percentage of their revenue.
In 2012, aged care providers operated on a ratio of one carer to five elders. ‘‘Now in many facilities it is one-to-10 while the care is far more complex,’’ the report said.
‘‘Our research shows aged care residents’ immediate emotional and physical needs often go unmet because staff are forced to ration the way they care, and if you’re not a priority you miss out,’’ NZNO industrial adviser for aged care David Wait said. Medical conditions associated with care rationing, such as pressure ulcers and injuries from falls, would be less common with better staffing.
‘‘We don’t have time to do simple things like help residents take short walks, or sit with them for a few minutes when they are distressed,’’ NZNO delegate and registered nurse Sacha Young said.
‘‘Aged care residents’ immediate emotional and physical needs often go unmet.’’