The Queensland Nurses’ Union (QNU) has warned aged care facilities are understaffed and not providing basic care for residents, with some registered nurses being allocated between 100 and 200 residents each. “It’s a disgrace what is happening in aged care,” QNU secretary Beth Mohle warned. She said a national research project by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) painted a stark picture of understaffed nursing homes, which had motivated the QNU to make submissions to the Australian Law Reform Commission and a Senate Aged Care Inquiry. “The ANMF’s National Aged Care Staffing and Skills Mix Project has found that residents who should be receiving an average of four hours and 18 minutes of care daily are only getting 2.84 hours,’’ Ms Mohle said. The report found staff levels of 30 per cent RNs, 20 per cent enrolled nurses (EN) and 50 per cent personal care workers (PCW) were the minimum skills mix to ensure safe care of elderly residents. “At the moment, PCWs, also known as assistants in nursing, provide the majority of care in aged care facilities,” Ms Mohle said.
