Parliament's health select committee has made a range of recommendations about funding the aged-care workforce and improving quality of care.
The committee considered a petition organised by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and Service and Food Workers Union, which was signed by almost to 34,000 people.
The unions wanted fair pay for workers comparable to counterparts in public hospitals, adequate staffing levels, and funding for appropriate training.
The committee recommended that:
- Some government funding to the sector be ring-fenced and passed onto the aged-care workforce.
- Government funding be focused on the goal of pay parity between all members of the aged-care workforce and their District Health Board counterparts.
- There be a move towards qualified staffing levels for the aged-care, using a similar approach to that set out in the early childhood sector strategic plan Pathways to the Future.
- A working party -- with representatives from the Ministry of Health, HealthCare Providers New Zealand, and unions -- be set up to recommend training paths and registration requirements for the aged-care sector.
- Funding for aged-care workforce salaries be linked to training requirements.
- Audits of aged-care facilities be conducted without notice by the Health Ministry.
- Consideration be given to setting up a register of caregivers found to have committed elder abuse, to be maintained by the ministry.
In a minority report, National said high staff turnover undermined the safety and quality of aged-care services.
"National believes that issues relating to staffing and training both need to be addressed in a planned and structured way," it said.
"A multi-year approach that addresses demand for aged-care services, certainty of funding, quality training and robust auditing processes would address the issues raised by the petitioner."
