Labor marks Aged Care Employee Day with $30m for rural workforce

This Aged Care Employee Day, the Albanese government is showing its commitment to bolstering the rural and regional workforce.

In a bid to bring more than 6000 extra care workers to the bush, Labor has announced it will distribute $30.8 million to providers that want to to attract, train and retain more staff.

$20.5 million will be injected into the Regional, Rural and Remote Home Care Workforce Support Program, delivering an extra 4000 home care workers over three years to areas hit the hardest by workforce shortages.

An additional $10.3 million has been allocated to the Aged Care Transition to Practice Program (ACTTP), which the Department of Health says will equip up to 2125 registered and enrolled nurses to deliver high-quality aged care.

Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae said the investment will allow more older Australians to remain in community as they age, while receiving the level of care they want and need.

“Our government values the critical role workers play in the aged care sector and we want them to be able to deliver high-quality care in every part of the country,” he said. 

“We want dedicated, passionate people to join the sector, to stay and help deliver the care our loved ones deserve regardless of where they live. This announcement will make that more achievable for thousands of workers.

“Every older Australian deserves access to high-quality aged care, regardless of where they live or the type of care they need.

“Our investment in regional and rural aged care workers means that more older Australians will get the support they need, when and where they need it.” 

The ACTTP program is designed to boost the attractiveness of aged care nursing by offering government-funded support in the form of training and mentorship to recent graduates and experienced nurses wanting a career change.

Graduate enrolled nurse Edna Odhiambo completed the program earlier this year and has since taken a role with Whiddon Residential Care in Central Western NSW. She said the program significantly enhanced her clinical skills, theoretical knowledge and professional confidence.

“We were very lucky to have the best health practitioners, nurse educators and leaders advocating for us to be the best aged care nurses we can be,” she said.

“Completing this program is an achievement I am proud of. It felt good to put into practice what I have learned and be able to make a real and positive impact on people’s lives every day.”