Aged care workforce under pressure, says union

The group is standing together to call out providers who they say are not lifting the standard of care for elderly Australians.

The industry is struggling to cope in the wake of mandatory care minutes being introduced along with other key aged care reforms as nationwide healthcare worker shortages persist.

Aged care nurses and carers met with politicians to share their experiences and provide firsthand accounts of the workload pressures they're facing, which they say is impacting on the quality of care they can deliver to residents.

One Hunter aged care worker, who did not wish to be named, said that at some facilities in the region, staff were reduced to tears on a daily basis "because they don't feel supported in the workplace"

"We feel like our working conditions have gotten worse since mandatory care minutes were introduced by the federal government," the worker said.

"Providers are rearranging rosters to appear compliant when in fact they're not.

"There is an influx of untrained and inexperienced staff, who aren't qualified to provide appropriate care to our residents.

"We are also experiencing abuse from residents daily because they aren't receiving the care and time they deserve and need.

"Ultimately, we don't feel like our provider is in our corner and fighting for us and our residents."

The federal secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Annie Butler, said many aged care providers were cutting corners and failing to comply with the mandatory care minutes that came into effect last year.

"They are removing roles like enrolled nurses and replacing them with less qualified positions, which is unacceptable," Ms Butler said.

"Providers are also placing increased pressure on staff, by asking them to perform non-care work like serving meals and washing dishes.

"We continue to see a system buckling under pressure. We need to see providers step up, meet their obligations and be held to account, so residents don't suffer poorer care outcomes."

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has identified staff shortages as a significant issue at aged care homes throughout the Hunter and nationally.

The feedback from staff working at Hunter homes which have failed to meet standards include that residents with high-acuity care needs are forced to wait for help, and clinical and staff care shifts are unallocated.

Other impacts on residents include issues such as wounds not being attended to as often as required, pain not properly managed, long waits for personal care.