Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, , 6:37:19 to 6:43:50
Officials outline workforce improvements, including 24/7 nursing requirements and the expansion of the hospital-to-aged-care dementia support program.
Topics: Health, Workplace relations, Social services
Speakers: Mr Daen Dorazio, Speaker 33, Ms Sonja Stewart, Senator Malcolm Roberts, Unknown Speaker
Yes, um, we've got some colleagues here from our workforce. Um that is not that city from us. Um I thought I saw them in the break. Um so uh there are dedicated programs around making um aged care um a valuable place to work, and um and uh and a number of different programs around encouraging and and training uh workforces as well as a very significant contribution that government has made in terms of the Fair Work Commission case to make it an attractive um particularly around gender undervalue in the workplace. So there are a number of programs.
Professor Alice Smith Millen, Chief Nurse. particularly with a focus on now 24-7 registered nurse requirements under the act and the investment in particularly after COVID infection prevention The department has provided uh a significant investment also in encouraging and supporting undergraduate nurses clinical placements in residential age care facilities. Uh, the transition to practice where graduate nurses are supported to work in residential aged care facilities as part of their beginning practitioner. We have um work with uh our colleagues in um in supporting uh visa programs that but and they work initially as uh aged care workers while they can be supported by their employer to complete the necessary training to become of eligible for registration as a nurse in Australia. So we've seen a huge growth in opportunities to see age residential age care as a as a career choice for nurses into the future, which is an important part of ensuring the high quality support and care we we want and do deliver in our residential age care facilities.
Thank you. Um coming back to the transitional facilities or the step-down facilities, uh, that would be an important part for gaining training, wouldn't it?
Again, thank you, Senator. Yes, we do look for undergraduate nurses and in the postgraduate period to see them work across a wide range of areas of experience. Thank you. So I forgot my name. And again, these are places where nurses can contribute both as undergraduate and postgraduate and grow their skills and knowledge. There are now a number of postgraduate courses specializing in gerontological nursing. The specialty is growing very quickly. It's an important part of the profession to see how we contribute to a high quality care for older Australians.
Thank you. Last question, Chair. Excuse me. Patient subjected bed block from aged care can be accommodated in their own home with a home care package, which you offer through the transition care program. How many places are active under that program? What is the cost? And would the simple measure of increasing the funding increase the update and clear some hospital beds?
Senator, um transition care program. The budget for 2627 is 454.5 million. Each of the the way the transition care works is that a number of places are funded. The Commonwealth funds are 75% of the cost of a transition care place through a flexible subsidy that's about $269.65 per day that's taken up. The total number of places in transition care. I'm just getting you that at the moment. So as at 30 June, there were 4,588 operational transition care places. That includes 265 places that are temporary that were funded through the strengthening Medicare package that would will expire in the middle of 2028, and it'll be a decision for government as to whether they they renew those.
Would it would any increased funding uh clear some more hospital beds? Um I guess you've got a balance of the cost of you've got a balance of costs, I understand of hospitals and transition.
Yes, look, uh obviously transition care is a very important component of it's it's not always the answer, but it is um you know part of the um a suite of measures to um get people transitioned earlier and more successfully um out of hospital. Um probably the other significant um investment in that sort of hospital to age care or home interface has been the expansion of the hospital to aged care dementia support programme because we know that many uh older Australians who uh experiencing you know longer stays, um it's because uh you know they're experiencing symptoms of dementia, and a hospital bed is not a great place to be for them. So the hospital aged care dementia support program puts the service around them to support their transition and actually to support where they're going to residential care to support the planning care for them to more easily transition to a to a new um new care setting.
I think it's also important to state that the issue of delayed discharge of older people, we need to work with our state and territory colleagues, particularly in the um hospital and health systems as well, because there's uh clearly some actions that can happen um prior to getting into the hospital and the hospital setting, and of course, into the aged care system, so working better together.
Thank you. I've appreciated your answers. Thank you.
Thank you.