Australia has its first national nursing workforce strategy. Now health leaders must deliver it.
Arun Thomas, Chairperson of ACNFFC
Australia has its first National Nursing Workforce Strategy, but a strategy alone won’t fix a 79,000-nurse deficit. Arun Thomas explores how the true test for health leaders lies in converting a 10-year policy blueprint into real, sustainable capacity on the ground.
Latest News
The $5.6 million payroll wake-up call
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s $5.6 million audit recovery exposes a critical governance vulnerability for aged care leaders: basic payroll, rostering, and Award classification errors compound into massive compliance liabilities across large workforces.
Caring for the carer: why mental health capability is now a workforce imperative
One direct conversation was enough to help a manager know her colleague was in crisis and keep her safe. As burnout rises across aged care, Mental Health First Aid training is giving staff the confidence to notice, ask and act early.
Jakob Neeland, Contributor
For-profit aged care brings clarity to sector fault-lines
For-profit versus not-for-profit is a detour tension point the industry can’t afford. Mel Argent of Rockpool shares insight for the common goal, removing inefficiencies so that aged care can thrive in Australia. For seniors and staff, all providers and departments must pull towards best.
Amy Henderson, Contributor
Interim funding rule Removes 53,000 clients from official aged care waitlist
53,718 people vanished from Australia’s aged care waitlist after a methodology change, removed once interim 60% payments start, not full funding. Providers report clients waiting up to five months, with the missing 40% never backdated.
Jakob Neeland, Contributor
Are we asking the wrong question about aged care kitchen shortages?
With over 75 per cent of aged care chefs reporting staffing shortages, benchmarked award rates may no longer be enough. Chef Lindsey O’Grady explores why providers must look beyond internal aged care pay comparisons to compete with the wider labour market.
Lindsey OGrady, Senior Catering Operations Specialist
Contributors
Yvette Willison - Content Writer
"Yvette is an avid storyteller with a working knowledge base in the Allied Health, Disability and Aged Care sectors."
Hayley Campbell - Content Writer
"Hayley Campbell is a mental health and healthcare copywriter who believes the best stories start with people."
Rise Up Group - Senior Catering Operations Specialist
"Lindsey O’Grady is a chef and aged care hospitality specialist with 40 years’ experience."
Atlas McNeil - National Clinical and Training Manager
"Lesley Barton is the National Clinical and Training Manager at Bunzl & Atlas McNeil Healthcare Community, with over 40 years of healthcare experience."
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News
Building the bridge to reshape First Nations aged care
Yvette Willison, Content Writer Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Jodi Cassar brings more than two decades of public service experience to one of aged care’s newest roles, sharing why listening, cultural safety and community partnerships are essential to creating meaningful, lasting reform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Who will take care of older Australians if migration slows?
Hayley Campbell, Content Writer Australia’s aged care workforce already relies heavily on migrant workers, while demand for workers continues to grow. With migration settings under review, providers need to understand what changes to access for overseas workers could mean for staffing.
Aged care’s data problem is starting to find its fix
Marion Piper, Contributor Three hours of a shift gone to paperwork — before a single resident is checked on. As documentation eats into aged care nursing time, new tools like Kinnexus and BESTMED IQ are trying to hand some of that time back to care.
New acting head, Kate Pope, confirmed for aged care’s independent oversight body
Marion Piper, Contributor Kate Pope PSM has taken over as acting Inspector-General of Aged Care, bringing 35 years of public sector experience to the role while government recruits a permanent appointee.
Aged care reforms haven’t fixed staffing, survey finds
Marion Piper, Contributor A union survey of 3,550 frontline workers finds understaffing, rising violence and unexplained funding gaps persisting under the Aged Care Act reforms – raising fresh governance questions about how providers are spending taxpayer funding.
Standardised failure: how the new NDIS bill sacrifices participants for budget repair
Marion Piper, Contributor As NDIS reforms repeat the design flaws of aged care’s algorithmic funding failures, Disability Discrimination Commissioner Rosemary Kayess warns that providers will bear the fallout of standardised models that sacrifice individual needs for budget repair.
Why KPMG’s whistleblower failure should concern every aged care provider
Marion Piper, Contributor Following KPMG’s high-profile whistleblower governance failure, Australian aged care directors face heightened scrutiny. Under the new Aged Care Act, leaders can be personally fined up to $165,000 for non-compliant reporting systems, even if the organisation itself escapes regulatory action.
Topic
Palliative care isn’t aged care’s job, but the conversation is
Victoria’s first statewide report on palliative care reveals a stark gap between demand and access. As specialist shortages loom, Palliative Care Victoria CEO Violet Platt explores why aged care leaders must help bridge the gap through early conversations.
Micro scale aged care punches above its weight
As the pace of aged care’s market consolidation intensifies, so too must the conversation of one size fitting all. Honeybee homes is a ‘tiny’ provider on NSW’s north coast that is bucking the trend. A 30-year wait list shows they’ve captured demand in a big way.
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