Earlier this year, many of you took part in our survey about aged care staffing. The results painted a stark picture:

• Over 50% of members said they believed that their facility rarely provided the care that residents deserve
• 77% of members said standards were getting worse
• 98% of members said we need to mandate staffing levels for all roles.

Today I tabled these results as I gave evidence to the NSW Government Inquiry into mandating 24/7 registered nurses in NSW aged care facilities. My message was clear:

If we as a community want to provide the best care for older Australians, we need to have a properly paid, staffed and resourced workforce at every level.

That means care staff, administration, catering, cleaning, laundry – all aged care work is care work.

Today I also provided the NSW Government with a copy of this video to highlight just what a day looks like in aged care: 

This is the reality for so many aged care workers, stressed at work and at home because there just isn’t enough time to provide the care you want to give.

It isn’t right for residents, for their families, or for the workforce. And it has to change.

Over the next couple of months we will be ramping up the campaign to Change Aged Care, taking our fight to Canberra in the lead-up to the Federal Budget. If you’re interested in getting involved, please email [E-Mail not displayed].