Major aged-care review excludes workers’ views

Major aged-care review excludes workers’ views

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is deeply concerned about the absence of aged-care workers’ or residents’ perspectives in a major report on residential aged-care services, released yesterday.

“The Aged Residential Care Service Review is being hailed as a collaborative approach by the sector, district health boards and the Ministry of Health. But the voice, experience and perspectives of workers in the sector have been ignored. The unions representing these workers were deliberately shut out of the process,” NZNO industrial adviser Rob Haultain said. “If it had been a review in the public health sector, health unions would automatically have been involved but because aged care is a public/private partnership, the same rules don’t apply.”

NZNO is also concerned no independent voice for those in aged-care facilities, such as Age Concern, was involved in the steering group.

“The absence of these perspectives means the review is incomplete. Those who work in the sector have very valuable knowledge, skills and ideas to bring to the debate about future aged-care needs but they are missing from the final report,” Haultain said. “The review has been touted as a document to promote dialogue but how can there be meaningful dialogue when there has been no input from those who deliver care in the sector?”

NZNO is also concerned at the review’s financial and investment focus, that it does not refer to the needs of an aging Mâori and Pacific population and the absence of any discussion on the impact of poor pay on quality of care in the sector.

“One part of the review refers to the need for fair and sustainable remuneration for the workforce; another part refers to the potential for productivity gains in the sector, including substitution of cheaper labour for expensive labour. That contradiction is alarming. The increasingly complexity of resident health care and the limited numbers of registered and enrolled nurses working with caregivers in the sector means it is difficult to maintain standards of care. In addition the vast majority of the aged-care workforce is paid at or a little above the minimum wage. Are wages going to be driven down even lower?” Haultain asked.

“NZNO looks forward to the publication of the report from MPs Sue Kedgley and Winnie Laban who thoroughly canvassed the views aged-care workers, residents and their families in a series of meetings around the country,” Haultain said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media