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RACGP co-signs open letter to PM over aged care staffing levels
The RACGP and other peak medical bodies are urgently calling for minimum staffing levels in aged care.
The RACGP signed the letter along with the Australian Medical Association and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation.
‘Older Australians, those who cared for us as we grew, are entitled to affordable, accessible and high-quality aged care services delivered by a professionally trained, accredited and dedicated workforce. They do not deserve the current, chronic understaffing that leads to unnecessary pain and suffering,’ the letter reads.
‘Right now we don’t measure up, but we can, and we can become the world leader in care for the elderly.
‘[T]he only way we can be sure that every elderly Australian has access to the safe and best practice care they deserve is to legislate minimum staffing ratios in aged care.
‘Staffing ratios need not stifle innovation. Instead, they can lay the foundation on which better quality standards can be built. And while mandated staffing ratios alone are not the only indicator of high quality aged care services, it is certain that high quality care cannot be achieved without them.’
The letter has been signed by the RACGP, the Australian Medical Association (AMA), and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) as part of a bid to put aged care staffing levels firmly on the national agenda.
RACGP President Dr Harry Nespolon told newsGP reform in the sector is necessary.
‘It is important for the RACGP to see reforms when it comes to aged care to make sure that we as GPs can continue to deliver high-quality care,’ he said.
‘The ability for a patient to make the informed choice to retain their trusted GP when they go into out-of-home care is one of the most important mechanisms for safety and patient satisfaction.
‘GPs should be supported to deliver high quality care for our patients no matter if they are in a residential aged care facility or not.’
The Federal Government is holding a royal commission into aged care, with its first report expected by 31 October next year.
However, the peak healthcare bodies are calling for more rapid change.
‘The Aged Care Royal Commission is important and necessary, but it should not mean a delay in reforms. If we continue to delay doing what we know is right it means at least another 18 months of pain and suffering for the elderly and, potentially, too many undignified deaths,’ the letter states.
‘Studies identify that the main reason for missed care, or low-quality care, in residential aged care facilities is that there is not enough staff available. And in a sector with an increasingly poor record of recruitment and retention of nurses and other key staff, shortages are now reaching critical proportions.’
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