The Australian Government’s Department of Health has announced that as part of its roughly $18 billion aged care reform package, more nurses will be eligible to receive the Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment.
In stating its vision for aged care services to be accessible of a high quality and to ensure senior Australians are cared for with respect and dignity, the federal government has widened the criteria so that nurses may now be able to qualify for a half payment.
Six-month payment
The criteria for the Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment, to be able to reward nurses for clinical skills and leadership who have worked in shorter contracts, now includes a six-month payment.
Registered nurses (RNs) who have been working for an aged care employer for a period of six months are permitted now to be eligible for a half-payment.
The government has outlined the eligibility periods for the six-month payment as:
Additional payments
There will be further additional payments that RNs may be able to receive.
RNs based and working in large and medium rural towns (classified as MMM 3-4) will be able to receive a further payment additional to the base payment, as well as RNs working in remote regions (classified as MMM 5-7).
The government has stipulated that the changes are to ensure more nurses receive more money under the payment scheme.
Providers responsible for payment application
It is important to note that the government has clearly stated that employers are responsible for applying on behalf of their eligible RNs.
Further information
For more information as to the payment criteria and application specifics, the Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment page has information regarding:
Additionally there are fact sheets regarding the payment for both providers and nurses.
How is this fair??? The PCW/PCA’s do all the cares, we know the residents better than a registered or enrolled nurse. We report anything out of the ordinary to our RN’s they don’t know what goes on with the residents were on the coalface dealing with our beautiful souls…
This is just so not fair for the amount of work we put into our daily cares..
Totally agree, I do community nursing and work as a endorsed enrolled nurse and have been with the company for 4 years. Being me and the other full time nurse who is a RN there is no difference in community between us in what we do so how is it fair really
Hello…. that’s great and all but there are other staff not just RNs working frontline
Why is this payment for RN’s only. There are many senior EN’s that are the glue that hold a facility together
Totally agree what can be done ? Has anything passed or anyone else looking into it
This is hardly fair. Having been a Registered Nurse (College Nurse) and an AIN in Aged Care I have to state The AINs and PCA’s are those with the heaviest load. They never stop working and the facilities would be lost without them.