Staff shortages
December 20, 2012
HEALTHCARE organisations have
responded quickly to the revelation
that Queensland nursing home
Southport Lodge had no staff
rostered on at night, by calling for
mandatory staff-to-resident ratios.
“The Aged Care Act does not
prescribe staffing levels,” said a
statement from the Combined
Pensioners & Superannuants
Association (CPSA).
“It only states that homes
have enough staff to ensure
residents’ care needs are met.
“Southport Lodge
obviously thought that at night that
number was zero,” the statement
added.
The CPSA went further, calling on
the Minister for Ageing, Mark
Butker, to make nursing homes
employ a significant number of
staff at all times so that proper care
may be administered to residents.
“While this case represents an
egregious abuse of an aged care
facility’s obligation to care for its
residents, the fact is that many
aged care operators understaff
their facilities, particularly at night,”
the CPSA said.
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