Case Needed for Hospitals and Aged Care (AUSTRALIA)

By MARK METHERELL

September 17, 2009

MEDICAL leaders have called for a federal takeover of public hospital funding on the same day as the Federal Government has been accused of leaving nursing homes ''under-staffed and overwhelmed''.

In an impassioned speech, nursing leader Ged Kearney appealed for a big funding injection into aged care to stem the exodus of qualified nurses from nursing homes. The exodus was putting aged-care residents at risk, she said.

Ms Kearney's call came hours after the Australian Medical Association proposed that the Commonwealth take over as single funder of public hospitals to end the state-federal ''blame game''.

A single public funder of public hospital, primary care and aged care would ensure that overall adequacy of funding in any one area could not be used as an excuse for poor patient access in other parts of the system, the AMA said.

AMA president Andrew Pesce said that while it did not support a federal takeover of the operation of public hospitals, the plan for a single funder with local governance arrangements would provide transparency and negate overt cost shifting between state and federal governments.

But Ms Kearney said that under Federal Government funding of nursing homes, there had been a worrying decline in registered and enrolled nurses, whose work was being taken over by untrained personal carers. This was happening as Australia was experiencing unprecedented prosperity.

There was no requirement on nursing home operators to spend federal funding on direct care or even staff wages, she said: ''It has led to a worrying decline in the number of registered and enrolled nurses that must be reversed''.

She said the Labor Party had pledged to address wage disparities of up to $300 a week between aged care and public hospital nurses, to improve training and introduce minimum staffing levels.

Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot yesterday said the Government was providing more funding than ever for aged care and had invested $127 million to raise skills of more than 21,000 aged-care nursing staff.

SOURCE: The Age, Australia

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The increased funding, by the federal government, on aged care and assistance to raise skills of aged-care nursing staff, should be commended. However, this is only a good start; the government should look at ongoing problems and currently identified shortfalls.

We must acknowledged that any kind of fixing of a system requires time and money. With an aging population, the government of the day must do all they can, before the system collapses.

Advocates for elder rights must unite to urge the government to continue the good work they have started. The 'Tsunami of Seniors' will continue to swell. Let us not bury our heads in the sand.

.............. AC

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