Riverina aged care workers may have to nurse upwards of 50 patients each within the next 15 years.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bathurst-based not-for-profit researcher Western Riverina Institute has exposed acute skills shortages looming for the local aged care sector.
The research organisation examined the ratio of aged care workers to potential clients by 2031, finding that the average across NSW would be one worker for every 18 people.
It’s tipped aged care workers in Tumbarumba, Greater Hume Shire and Coolamon will have a 70 per cent greater burden than the state average, with one carer for 31 residents older than 65.
Other areas under the pump include Temora, Hay, Harden, Lockhart, Cootamundra, Murrumbidgee, Tumut and Narrandera.
Culcairn Health Service’s Alison Navybox “cannot fill” six current nursing vacancies and worried about what will happen when the ageing population crisis reaches full effect.
“We've got vacancies we can't fill and I’ve got no idea how long it will take to fill them,” she said.
“We’re looking for registered nurses, enrolled nurses and assistants in nursing.
“Most of our nurses are from within the Albury-Wodonga area, but some come all the way from Sydney.”
CEO of Wagga nursing home The Forrest Centre Evan Robertson said baby boomers have begun relying on aged care.
“Industry and government have known for a long time aged care services are going to be in much higher demand in the next 10-20 years,” he said.
“The increased demand is going to be enormous.
“In time there won’t be enough aged care facilities, so there's a push on ‘at home’ services, which requires a different skill-set.”
The federal senate is holding an inquiry into the future of Australia's aged care workforce, which experts predict needs to increase from 350,000 workers to 1.3 million by 2050.
Aged care training is among the qualifications offered under the NSW government's Smart and Skilled program, which provides subsidised courses for students including retrenched mature-age workers.
Western Riverina Institute general manager Wendy Mason said the current aged care workforce “won't be sufficient for the future”.
“Education, health and social assistance are all growing sectors in regional areas,” she said.