Catholic Health Australia has identified five areas of key interest to its members ahead of this week’s Jobs and Skills Summit, which the peak advocacy body will attend.
CHA is attending the Canberra event as the voice of not-for-profit aged and health care providers, and more broadly the Catholic sector.
CHA members employ more than 80,000 people, managing 25,000 home-support consumers, 25,000 residential aged-care beds and more than 13,000 hospital beds.
It’s five key priorities are:
- Immediately add personal care workers to the skilled migration list, increase quotas, issue more temporary visas and reduce processing times by Home Affairs.
- Introduce a nationwide scheme to waive fees for students who commit to working in the health and aged care sectors.
- Introduce better remuneration for aged care workforce, identify and promote more attractive career pathways to and encourage take up and retention.
- Review the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s capacity to efficiently register health practitioners with a view to further reducing visa waiting periods
- Working with unions to develop an increased scope of practice for nurses and aged care workers, and to examine options for greater flexibility to deploy where needed.
A CHA study by the University of Notre Dame found there were more than 80,000 vacancies across the sector including 45,561 qualified age-care worker vacancies.
“The past three years have poignantly demonstrated how we depend on health and aged care workers to heal us or accompany us in the final stages of life,” CHA CEO Pat Garcia said.
“These past three years have underscored society’s vulnerability. The elderly, and those with complex health needs, rely on us, but the system that serves them is susceptible to a range of pressures, not least a shortage of carers.
“If we are to weather the storms ahead we need to be better prepared. Part of that is having a comprehensive plan in place. The Jobs and Skills Summit is a perfect opportunity to advance some of these ideas and to demonstrate to government and society that we must truly value the work of caring.
“The people who work in our network bring dignity to the those that they care for. They in turn should expect it back from providers and from their government in the form of fair remuneration and good career prospects.
Key Facts:
It’s five key priorities are:
- Immediately add personal care workers to the skilled migration list, increase quotas, issue more temporary visas and reduce processing times by Home Affairs.
- Introduce a nationwide scheme to waive fees for students who commit to working in the health and aged care sectors.
- Introduce better remuneration for aged care workforce, identify and promote more attractive career pathways to and encourage take up and retention.
- Review the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s capacity to efficiently register health practitioners with a view to further reducing visa waiting periods
- Working with unions to develop an increased scope of practice for nurses and aged care workers, and to examine options for greater flexibility to deploy where needed.
