Aged Care Insite Australia's number one aged care news source
A recent aged care report has identified that only one in ten residential care facilities in Australia could meet all three staffing requirements needed to meet quality care standards.
Last week, the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative published a mid-year report mapping key issues facing the aged care sector.
The report's lead author Dr Nicole Sutton said while roughly 80 per cent of aged care homes are able to have registered nurses on staff 24/7, the figure was 'much lower' in terms of care minutes.
"Many homes are meeting at least one of the three requirements," Dr Sutton told Aged Care Insite.
"Small homes are more likely to fulfil the registered nurse (RN) care minutes, and larger homes are more likely to meet the 24/7 RN coverage, but few homes can achieve all three."
From 1 October 2023, care time will be raised to 200 minutes per day, including 40 nursing minutes, and this will increase to 215 care minutes and 44 nursing minutes from 1 October 2024.
Aged care homes must also have an RN on duty at all times starting from 1 July 2023.
Aged Care Insite spoke with Dr Sutton about whether the 17.6 per cent rise in AN-ACC funding should cover the costs of care minutes and pay raises for direct care workers.
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