Call for rule changes as ‘dire situation’ builds in aged care

The national peak body for not-for-profit aged care is calling for urgent rule changes to ensure there are enough workers to care for the elderly, and to better balance protection from COVID-19 with the social needs of aged care residents.

CEO of Aged and Community Services Australia, Paul Sadler, says staffing is currently “a pretty dire situation” with up to 30 per cent of workers in home care and residential care services isolating.

“We’re calling for national cabinet to establish a clear process for furloughing of staff and an interpretation of close contacts which enables people to safely come to work when they can, and that’ll take some of the pressure off the staffing challenges,” he told Tony Jones, filling in for Neil Mitchell.

“What we do need is some new settings that deal with the realities of the Omicron spread.

“This is a pretty dire situation. We need creative solutions from government.”

Mr Sadler says policy may have “erred a little too far in the restrictions on older peoples’ movement”, and with the current high levels of the virus in the community, readjustment may be needed to ensure residents aren’t isolated for extended periods of time.

Press PLAY below to hear what Aged and Community Services Australia is calling on national cabinet to do