Aged care homes will be required to have a registered nurse on duty 24/7, and make sure residents receive a minimum amount of care each day, after landmark legislation to reform the sector passed the Senate earlier this morning.
With the new Labor government handing down its first budget on Tuesday night, and a raft of legislation being considered this week in Parliament, the ANMF and a delegation of nurses from NSW, the ACT and South Australia converged on Canberra to lobby key politicians.
The delegation of ANMF members, which included registered nurses, nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses working across a range of settings, met with Aged Care Minister Anika Wells, Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler, Assistant Health and Aged Care Minister and former ANMF Federal Secretary Ged Kearney, Independent Senator David Pocock, and Greens Senator Janet Rice.
For many years, the ANMF and its state and territory branches have campaigned for RN 24/7 at every Australian nursing home to provide, or direct the provision of, care.
ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said the union welcomed the opportunity to help the government implement the new reforms, adding that there were even further opportunities to improve the sector, such as the increased implementation of Nurse Practitioner led models in aged care.
