The $135.6 million commitment will also reward nurses who take on additional training responsibilities and recognises the invaluable contribution aged care nurses make across the sector.
Under the initiative, full-time registered nurses can receive a payment of $3700 for each year and part-time and casual registered nurses can receive payment on a pro‑rata basis, averaging $2700 each year.
On top of these payments, nurses can receive up to an additional $2,300 if they work in a rural or remote area, hold a postgraduate qualification or take on additional leadership or training responsibilities in their workplace.
Registered nurses working for the same aged care provider for 12 months will be eligible for the payment in both 2022 and 2023.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, and Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the Morrison Government was committed to reinforcing clinical support for senior Australians in residential care.
“We hope it encourages aged care nurses to continue working with older Australians and incentivises nurses in other sectors to explore a career in aged care.”
Minister Colbeck said the additional payment was extra recognition for the extraordinary work done by aged care nurses.
“This additional payment acknowledges the challenges faced by aged care nurses, particularly those working in rural and remote settings,” he said.
“We also want to recognise those registered nurses who go above and beyond to deliver high quality care to older Australians.”
There will be two eligibility periods for the payment, and eligible nurses will be able to receive both payments if they are employed for the 12 month periods – 1 November 2021 to 31 October 2022, and 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023.
The payments are part of a suite of initiatives announced in the 2021-22 Budget to support and encourage registered nurses to work in aged care, including expansions to the Aged Care Transition to Practice Program and the Aged Care Nursing Scholarships.
Minister Hunt said providers should highlight the payment in their recruitment processes.
“Aged care nursing is a rewarding and sustainable career path, and the Government is supporting the workforce to grow and skill,” he said. “The payment will help to attract and retain skilled, compassionate and professional registered nurses to aged care.”
More information about the payment is available here.
That’s great, but what about all other workers in aged care, such as cleaners, kitchen staff, laundry staff,AIN’S etc, they all work hard, if not harder and longer hours
What about the other nurses who work just as hard and sometimes harder.
What about the rest of us who work in aged care – Lifestyle, Cleaning, Laundry, Administration, Kitchen etc… It takes a multi-disciplinary team to run Residential Aged Care home, with all aspects equally as important as the other!!!
what help are the en,s going to get some facility’s are stripping our en,s of there medical skills and not replacing them on the employment sector when one leaves. We are all feeling very used and abused but med assist Ains are being employed like ants I now wondering if these facility’s are thinking they will have plentiful amount of Reg nurses and will save money by using reg nurse and med assist.
Although the role of the RN is invaluable so is that of the EN and with this I would like to think the minister will broaden this incentive to include registered enroll nurse…..
ENs are just as valuable an RNs. There is very little difference in what they do. They certainly need a little of that money! As far as AINs are concerned here we go again. No recognition for the ones forced to take on Medication Competency leaving then short staffed in an already short staffed overworked area.You see when AINs are giving out medication to residents they don’t replace them on the floors leaving the other staff to work for 3! It’s THAT BAD! they get 70cents an hour extra but what a rip off when they take longer often to hand out meds due to having to assist residents at the same time! AINs are used to pick up the work that others should be doing but since nobody is willing to join a union being that the majority are foreign visa holders it means no strike! Convenient for the Aged Care system don’t you think? Assistants In Aged Care are so valuable the place could not run without them. If anyone deserves a pay rise they are right up there with the rest of them. the only other staff that deserve a pay rise are Laundry staff. Only 2 per day rostered on in small rooms with machines going all day for 130 residents. Working in the heat and dealing with washing curtains and then when they have any time hanging the curtains up in the resident’s rooms Handling heavy soiled linen of faeces, urine, blood, vomit. Folding every towel and clothing and sheets. They are working for less than AINs. Disgusting! As for the contracted cleaners there are only 2 rostered on every day unless they have an audit looming and everyone comes out of the woodwork! Cleaners do not even have to clean blood or faecal matter from toilets. The poor AINs have to do that. We were even told to clean the public toilet of faecal matter! This is true! Our cleaners have a very clean job!Must be something in their contract. Yep nit anyone deserves a pay rise it is AINs and Laundry staff which are 99 % female!