United Voice News
Aged care union argues for greater transparency and accountability
LHMU - the aged care union put a submission into the Department of Health and Ageing review of the re-accreditation process for residential aged care homes.
In its submission, LHMU argued that our members who work in the sector as enrolled nurses, nurse assistants/personal carers, in the aged care sector are under-remunerated and undervalued.
That’s why the aged care union support and agree with the Senate Committee’s consideration that there is room for improvement in aged care facilities. Namely the monitoring of standards, a development of a "benchmark of care", a review of the Accreditation Standards and a review of the documentation required in applying for accreditation.
LHMU also supports the objectives of the Department and strongly submit that those objectives are only achievable by the regulatory body ensuring that there is:
• transparency and accountability by our members’ employers, especially those in receipt of substantial government funding;
• flow through funding for staff remuneration (i.e. quarantined funding); and
• increased staff levels in nursing homes (i.e. staff: resident ratios).
