The federal government imposed a 12 month timeline for all aged care facilities with more than 30 beds to employ enough registered nurses to staff the centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week by July 1.

Facilities with less than 30 beds can apply for a one-off 12 month extension.

Charles Sturt University Associate Professor of nursing Maree Bernoth said while some regional facilities might already meet the requirements, those that do not would require more time to recruit the staff.

"In [the last] 26 years, there's been a deliberate reduction in experienced staff and registered nurses," she said.

"So the government can't expect them to say that now they must be reinstated, because they're just not there."

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Facilities like the Caloola Centre - run by BapistCare - already employs enough registered nurses (RNs) to staff the centre 24/7, but a spokesperson for the centre did acknowledge there were still experiencing ongoing staffing difficulties.

"We have had a 24/7 RN BaptistCare Caloola Centre for a long time now as part of our standard operating model," the spokesperson said.

"While staffing difficulties continue, we've been able to maintain the 24/7 RN cover."

Assoc Prof Bernoth said other centres in the Riverina have offered a range of incentives inlcuding in their attempt to attract more employees.

"It's not as if people aren't trying to get the staff - but if they're not there, you just can't get them," she said.

"But it's also important to reassure everyone that just because we're not meeting this requirement doesn't mean that poor standards of care are being delivered."

The new requirement was one of the outcomes of the Aged Care Royal Commission, along with a new facility star rating system and a 15 per cent pay rise for workers' award wages.

All facilities with less than 60 residents are eligible for supplement funding to help employ more RNs.

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