The ANMF expresses considerable concern that the proposed Act fails to recognise the importance of the workforce and to make explicit provisions for setting a workforce quality standard outlining the basic conditions that should be provided to ensure workers are supported to deliver high-quality care and achieve the objectives of the Bill. [...] Workers are the backbone of the aged care system and if supported to do so, can supplement the regulation of aged care, enhance transparency of direct care funding, reduce the regulatory burden and increase the cost-effectiveness of system administration, by being the ‘eyes and ears’ that enhance regulatory processes. [...] Abandonment of the Worker Voice provision significantly undermines the objects and principles of a rights-based aged care act and the capacity for the new legislation to achieve lasting reform in the aged care sector. [...] Additionally, it misses the opportunity to embed real-time reporting of poor-quality care, raise transparency in the way direct care funding is spent and support the ability of the system regulator to determine risk, rewarding those providers who do the right thing, by working with the aged care workforce, as the backbone and ‘eyes and ears’ of the sector, to support the achievement of genuine ref. [...] The Act must recognise the critical importance of the workforce and make explicit provisions to ensure workers are supported to deliver high-quality care and achieve the objectives of the Act.
- Pages
- 11
- Published in
- Australia
Table of Contents
- ANMF Submission to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Aged Care Bill 2024 Provisions 1
- Annie Butler 2
- Federal Secretary 2
- Lori-Anne Sharp 2
- Federal Assistant Secretary 2
- Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation 2
- Level 1 365 Queen Street Melbourne VIC 3000 2
- E anmffederalanmf.org.au 2
- W www.anmf.org.au 2
- Introduction 3
- Workers are crucial to achieving the objects of the Act 4
- 23diii by sufficient numbers of aged care workers who have appropriate qualifications skills 5
- Care Minutes 5
- 16 Meaning of a reportable incident 6
- Delivery of direct care 6
- Importance of Enrolled Nurses 6
- Responsible Person Provisions 7
- Removal of Criminal Sanctions 7
- Regulation of the Care Worker Workforce 7
- Code of Conduct for Aged Care 8
- Conditions relating to aged care workers 152 Workforce and aged care workers requirements 8
- Worker Voice Provisions 9
- Improving workforce planning and utilisation through Quality Standards 9
- Fees Payments and Subsidies 10
- Conclusion 11