 Home Media Resources True State of Aged Care to be revealed - April 26, 2005
True State of Aged Care to be revealed - April 26, 2005
Aged care workers will present evidence of dangerously low staffing levels, inadequate care and terrible living conditions during a Senate inquiry hearing in Melbourne today.
The Health Services Union will also reveal in the hearing details of a new poll, conducted exclusively for the union by Newspoll, which found an overwhelming number of people are in favour of the Federal Government introducing minimum staffing levels into aged care facilities.
HSU national secretary Craig Thomson said the hearing would be a chance for senators to hear what it is really like in aged care facilities.
"The situation in aged care is going from bad to worse and the senators need to hear this," he said.
"In too many facilities residents and staff are both suffering because there are simply not the staff or the resources required to deliver proper care.
"Aged care is becoming a more dangerous place for residents and for staff with many violent incidents being recorded.
"Stress levels are rising, residents are being forced to go without the most basic care such as being taken to the toilet on time and they are not getting proper food in many facilities.
"There are no minimum number of staff that need to be employed, no minimum training requirements for staff and a woefully inadequate regime of inspections.
"The Newspoll of 1200 people done for the HSU found that:
- 82 per cent of people believed the federal government should set minimum staffing levels for aged care facilities to ensure a reasonable standard of care is provided. Only 12 per cent of people disagreed.
"Senators on this inquiry need to understand that the public want some firm standards in aged care so we don't have one or two staff looking after hundreds of residents.
"Elderly Australians deserve better and so do staff working in the industry."
Download File:
Read the HSU's submission to the Senate Inquiry [ pdf ]
Contact Details
Mark Robinson
Ph: 0439411774
hsu@hsu.net.au
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