RISK losing registered nurses in nursing homes or face closures of remote aged care-facilities – these are the potential dangers facing NSW as it deals with changes to federal legislation.
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Moree councillors have called on state parliamentarians to consider both as the NSW government launched an upper house inquiry into the requirement for a registered nurse to be on duty in a nursing home at all times.
The Legislative Council inquiry comes as the state government looks to determine how it will respond to changes to the federal Aged Care Act 1997 made last year.
The changes saw the removal of a distinction between "high care" and "low care" homes.
This made invalid state legislation which mandates that all high-care facilities have registered nurses on staff around the clock and have a director of nursing on staff. NSW Health responded with interim legislation which required nursing homes which been using RNs continued to do so until late 2015, when the state decided on a long-term approach.
At a Moree Plains Shire Council meeting last week, MPSC voted to express its concern to Macquarie Street that changes to the NSW Public Health Act 2010 may threaten the closure of aged care facilities in small rural areas.
MPSC will also recommend that any changes to legislation should not jeopardise the employment of Registered Nurses in aged care facilities. Finally, the submission calls on the Minister for Health to conduct community consultation and review how changes to the NSW Public Health Act 2010 could affect staffing levels in rural areas.
It was a compromise which was welcomed by both registered nurses and nursing home operators in Moree.
Both Fairview CEO Brett Arthur and NSW Nurses and Midwives Association member and local RN, Maree Wiseman, said they were pleased with the outcome of the MPSC meeting.
Mr Arthur said he hoped the state inquiry would heed the MPSC recommendation and consult with rural communities.
