Aged care workers sound alarm over staffing and safety

Australia’s aged care system has undergone sweeping reform, but a new national survey suggests serious problems remain inside residential facilities, including inadequate staffing, workplace violence and concerns about cost-cutting.

More than 3,550 nurses and care workers took part in the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s (ANMF) Aged Care Pulse Check – The Real Impact of Reforms survey.

Almost half of those surveyed, 49 per cent, said they did not have enough time to provide the care residents needed. Among workers employed by for-profit providers, that climbed to almost 56 per cent.

Nearly 40 per cent rated staffing levels at their workplace as inadequate, poor or very poor, while 47.5 per cent believed the mix of nursing staff and care workers was inadequate.

The findings come despite residential aged care providers being required to meet an average of 215 minutes of direct care per resident each day, including 44 minutes of registered nurse care.

Violence widespread among workers

The survey also revealed widespread violence and aggression towards aged care workers.

More than 96 per cent of respondents said they had experienced or witnessed at least one instance of violence or aggression at work during the previous 12 months, with residents identified as the perpetrators in most cases.

More than three-quarters reported verbal aggression and almost 70 per cent physical violence. Workers also reported property damage or objects being thrown, racism and sexual harassment.

The ANMF said workers in facilities with the poorest staffing levels were more likely to report violence and aggression.

Are residents missing out?

Workers also reported financial pressures affecting the care residents received.

Just over one in five said funding or budget constraints meant residents missed services they needed “most of the time”, while almost 36 per cent said it happened some of the time.

Respondents reported absent workers not being replaced and agency staff not being brought in, as well as rationing of essential supplies including wound dressings and delays in updating equipment.

ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said reforms, including requirements for registered nurses to be on-site around the clock, had brought some improvements but had not gone far enough.

“We simply can’t assume that aged care is fixed,” Butler said.

The union wants the current care-minutes system replaced with mandated staff-to-resident ratios across individual shifts, alongside stronger protections against workplace violence and greater transparency over how government funding is spent.

Also check out Aged Care v Home Care: Which Is Best For You?