Aged care skills training – a defining election issue for Australia’s immediate future
In an election where policy differences between the two major parties often seem “shaded” rather than clear-cut colours, different approaches to aged care workforce training stand out. In this article, I review the issues facing Australian aged care, note the impact of COVID-19 on older Australians and outline the Community Colleges Australia (CCA) proposed important initiatives to support training and development in Australia’s hard-pressed aged care workforce.
The Aged Care Issue
Crikey’s Bernard Keane summarises: “Regular scandals about conditions in aged care facilities led to the aged care royal commission, and the large number of deaths in aged care during the pandemic further concentrated attention on a growing problem with a lack of workers. A case to significantly raise aged care remuneration is before the Fair Work Commission. As the key funder of aged care services via grants to providers, the Commonwealth is crucial to lifting remuneration. It is also in a transition from the current soft-touch regulatory environment to one with more stringent requirements on aged care providers and a stricter regulator.”
Keane continues: “Unions and employers … have called for a government commitment to funding the Fair Work Commission remuneration outcome. The Coalition has declined to state its position, despite requests from the parties involved. Labor has agreed to fund the outcome — the cost of which will be unclear until the commission makes its decision — and has stated that it intends, in line with the royal commission recommendation, to require nurses be on duty 24/7 in all aged care facilities, rather than the 16 hours a day the government proposes.”
Permanent part-time aged care workers starting salary is currently a very low $21.62/hour – the average salary is $23.76 – so raising the pay is one of the essential factors in recruiting and retaining a quality aged care workforce.
Aged care facilities remain highly vulnerable to COVID-19: I know of at least three in metro Sydney which are in “lockdown” because residents picked up COVID while outside their facilities.
COVID-19 is Deadliest for Older Australians
Because of high Australian population vaccination rates, COVID-19 has largely morphed into a disease that is of greatest immediate concern for the immunocompromised (about 500,000 Australians) and the aged (let’s set aside “long COVID” for the moment): the great majority (more than 75%) of deaths have occurred in people aged over 70; and 39% of deaths have occurred in people aged over 90, with a median age of death around 84.
COVID-19 is not disappearing: “According to global databases, Australia led the world in?per-capita COVID infections,” the ABC reports.?Experts agree: “The pandemic is still with us and is hurting us badly…. There is no sign of this slowing down…. High case numbers matter to our health and to the functioning of our society. Ambulance ramping, emergency department and healthcare stress, travel chaos, general staff shortages, school disruptions, and a slow return to work are just some examples that tell a polar opposite story to the prevailing ‘live with COVID’ narrative…. 350,000 people currently have COVID in Australia, all are at home, more than 3000 are in hospital, and an incomprehensible 40 or so are dying each day,” write Brendan Crabb and Mike Toole.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that COVID-19 was the second most common cause of death in January 2022, and is reportedly now the leading cause, according to Dr John Saul of the Australian Medical Association. And it’s the elderly who suffer most: “As with all waves of the disease, people aged 80 and over were mostly those who died… Among 80-89 year-olds, only 1% are not fully vaccinated, this tiny group made up more than 20% of those in their age group who ended up in ICU or dying. Almost one-third of 80-89 year-old COVID sufferers with fewer than two doses ended up in ICU or dying,” write Craig Butt and Melissa Cunningham.
These facts make the training of aged care workers – both the quantity and quality of workers, along with the delivery of aged care services – not just important, but for many, truly a “matter of life and death”.
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The Australian ACE Sector Excels in Aged Care Training
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Community Colleges Australia Proposals to Address Aged Care Training Needs
Proposal 1: The Aged Care Trainer Shortage
CCA has noted the critical shortage of skilled aged care trainers, especially acute in many regional and rural areas; existing workers are often reluctant to move into the training; the TAE Certificate IV qualification is often seen as an obstacle; and the negative press around the quality of care and qualifications of staff compounds challenges. Some CCA members report aged care trainers leaving their positions to work in more consistent and less stressful work.
In response, CCA proposes an ACE TAE scholarship program for aged care trainers, combined with a complementary mentoring support program that pairs potential trainers with experienced VET and/or industry professionals, to assist new trainers to engage with VET.
Proposal 2: Meet the Language, Literacy, Numeracy & Digital Literacy Needs of Aged Care Workers and Trainees
CCA also notes high language literacy numeracy (LLN) and digital literacy (DL) concerns (see the work undertaken by 26Ten in Tasmania) in both the prospective and existing aged care workforce, and the limited funding available. Literacy for Certificate III Individual Support presents a significant barrier to new students from both CALD background and many native English speakers.
In response, CCA proposes a special contextualised LLN & DL program for aged care workers and students/trainees. ACE providers will work with service providers to implement embedded LLN support specific to CALD and native English speaker learners.
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Both CCA proposals arose from extensive discussions leading up to and during the CCA National ACE Summit in June 2021. I thank my CCA colleague Evelyn Goodwin for her contributions to this article. This article was originally published on the CCA website.