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Every Home Must Get Spot Check A Year
The Health Services Union said today every aged care facility should get an unannounced spot check each year as recommended by the Senate Inquiry into Aged Care last year.
Mr Thomson said on average only one in ten facilities currently received a spot check a situation described by the bi-partisan Senate committee report as "grossly inadequate".
"Unless the government commits to a spot check for each facility each year and stops trying to fudge the details the safety of residents and staff will remain an issue," he said.
"In too many cases aged care facilities are using the time between when they are notified of the visit and the inspectors arriving to change things at their facility."
Speaking about today's meeting between the Aged Care Minister Santo Santoro and the state and territory ministers Mr Thomson also said the union supported police checks on new staff but the cost had to be borne by employers.
"The union welcomes the action by the ministers to address the very real problems in aged care," he said.
"But the solutions need to be comprehensive not piece-meal.
"It is hard enough to attract people to aged care without making them pay for their own police check as well. That is cost that should be covered by the employer after they have selected the new staffmember they want.
"The HSU also supports mandatory reporting of abuse but it can't be introduced without other fundamental changes to the system. As the Senate inquiry last year found people are often too scared or intimidated to report incidents and new whistleblower legislation is required to protect them.
"Something needs to be done about the staffing situation as well because it is much easier for abuse and violence to occur when you no minimum staffing levels and one person can be left to care for over a hundred residents.
"You also have a situation where there is no minimum training standards in the industry and no minimum qualification for staff."
Monday April 10
MEDIA: Craig Thomson 0419498691 or Mark Robinson 0439411774
Contact Details
Health Services Union of Australia
hsu@hsu.net.au
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