Aged Care RC Final Hearings

Today in the final hearings at the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, Counsel Assisting has backed in workers at the Aged Care Regulator through the proposed recommendations.

Staff at the regulator have been hamstrung by a complete lack of resourcing and powers, and this report details steps needed to rectify this.

The union representing workers at the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the CPSU made four recommendations to the Royal Commission focused on staffing and resources, increased regulatory powers, revising the operational structure, and the need for cultural diversity.

All four of these recommendations have been addressed by Counsel Assisting. The CPSU hopes that these matters are accepted by the Commissioners, so that the Government will finally act.

As noted by Beth Vincent-Pietsch:

“Our members at the Aged Care regulator are deeply committed to aged care, but they have been hamstrung by a complete lack of resourcing and insufficient powers. Their calls to fix the regulator have, until now, fallen on the deaf ears of the Government.”

“Our members desperately want to deliver on community expectations, but they need the Government to act. Understaffing, under resourcing and poor training structures, coupled with ACQSC’s incredible over-reliance on labour hire, is having a devastating impact on ACQSC’s capacity.”

“An incapacitated regulator leaves vulnerable people in the aged care sector at risk. That’s why our members are pleased to see Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission back every recommendation CPSU members made. We look forward to the final report of the Commission and hope it will lead to Government action.”

/Public Release. View in full here.