Dec 20, 2021

Employee burnout and residents at risk after understaffing allegations at QLD aged care home

BlueCare staffing crisis
Speaking to 7News regarding the situation, Beth Mohle of the QLD Nurses and Midwives Union said, “They just cannot recruit and so they’re at significant risk of closure."

Speaking to 7News regarding the situation, Beth Mohle of the QLD Nurses and Midwives Union said, “They just cannot recruit and so they’re at significant risk of closure. 

“They won’t be able to continue to operate services unless they can attract staff.”

The situation has also drawn the attention of Matt Burnett, the ALP candidate for Flynn.

“I’ve heard stories from aged care workers in the facility, who are worried about the lack of care for residents. Their jobs are hard enough, now they’re working double shifts”, he explained.

Upon hearing about the allegations, advocacy groups have grown concerned, calling for immediate intervention from the federal government. 

Paul Sadler of Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA), said, “The pandemic has put significant restrictions on our availability of staff at the moment, we have been in competition with the COVID collects.”

Commenting on the unfolding concerns, the member for Flynn, Ken O’Dowd, said he is aware of shortages across facilities and hopes that an almost $18 million fund will help support those involved and provide some resolution. 

Mr O’Dowd continued, “That’s given aged care homes another $10 per day per resident.”

Speaking about their experience, many conveyed they felt broken and that residents weren’t receiving the care they paid for and needed. 

Happening in the midst of another COVID surge in Queensland further complicates staffing capacity, energy and availability.  

Beth Mohle questioned, “The whole staff may be exposed, and have to get replaced, where are you going to replace those staff from?”

Already facing a backlog, Central Queensland hospitals are currently caring for 40 patients that are waiting and needing to be placed in residential aged care spots or receive support from the NDIS.  

BlueCare said that the health and wellbeing of residents is it’s top priority.

In a recent statement it noted, “BlueCare is currently proactively working with nursing agencies to support our registered workforce requirements.”

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  1. What has put undue pressure on residential care facilities is the federal government’s funding cuts of 2015 etc that has taken $50 per resident per day. How on earth does anyone expect for anything to improve when most facilities are running at a loss!

    The $10 per day increase earlier in the year fell far short of the royal commission recommendations and the federal government,along with local members, politicians, peak bodies etc have all failed to take necessary and urgent action to rectify the problems. The federal government has failed it’s duty of care to provide adequate funding for the safe and sustainable delivery of care to the elderly and they aren’t being held to account.

  2. They don’t care about the residents. Let’s call this out. It is all about keeping the big boys and girls behind the scenes happy with the big bucks. Apparently they do pay about $4 more an hour for their AINs though. Much better but still not enough compared to other places compared to the big Aged vare business I work for which only pay $24 an hour! Now they have been in a fight for yrs with the union to up our rate of pay but alas, 2% over 3 yrs with a new EB agreement! My God. Everything has gone through the roof, petrol, house prices, rents, childcare,food etc. Alot are doing well in the workforce as so many are earning a rate of pay that actually keeps up with inflation. Seeing that over 70% ofbaged care staff are are foreign what hope do we have at being respected and paid fairly when they either don’t sign yes or no on the EB agreement meaning if only 20 people don’t agree to the new EB agreement the rest is going to be a vote for yes! Bloody rort!

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