Dubbo aged-care nurses don’t have the time to read letters to the elderly or hold their hands when they’re dying, the NSW Nurses’ Association declared this week as it met with the people caring for the city’s senior citizens.
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Its current campaign tagged ‘Because We Care’ is focused on boosting the level of qualified staff in aged-care facilities so that older people “get the quality aged care they deserve”.
The association, working with the Australian Nursing Federation, reports 500 registered nurses have left the industry in the past couple of years, while there has been a “massive increase” in “unlicensed and unregulated workers”.
At all levels, the association says the aged-care nurses are being underpaid.
“Registered nurses earn about $140 a week less than their counterparts in the public health system,” association organiser Amanda Walsh said during a tour of Dubbo’s aged-care facilities.
“If you’re an AIN (assistant in nursing) working in aged care, you could walk out and earn more stacking shelves at Woolworths.”
At a barbecue lunch for nurses hosted by Dubbo’s Holy Spirit, the association organiser said the absence of a ratio for registered nurses to residents led in some cases to an “unacceptable level of care”.
“You could have one registered nurse to 80 high-care residents,” Ms Walsh said.
The departure of registered nurses had placed more responsibility onto the shoulders of AINs and the public health system when basic medical procedures required the calling of an ambulance and a trip to the local hospital.
“There are a lot of elderly people with complex care needs,” Ms Walsh said.
“Specific training is needed, not just a six-week course or a first aid certificate.”
The organiser said her talks with Dubbo aged-care nurses revealed they were “unsatisfied with their ability to provide the care they wanted to give”.
“They don’t have the time to do things like read old people their letters or hold their hands when they’re dying,” Ms Walsh said.
The association says across the industry a “lack of numbers and resources” is burning out workers.
It is critical of aged-care facilities being able to spend their Federal Government allocations “as they see fit” and is calling for “accountability and transparency” as to how much is spent on “nurse hours”.
For more information about the campaign go to www.becausewecare.org.au.