{"id":63973,"date":"2025-07-05T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T22:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging\/?p=63973"},"modified":"2025-07-25T14:57:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T04:57:56","slug":"aged-care-workers-reveal-dire-situation-inside-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/development.uwu.org.au\/staging\/media-release\/aged-care-workers-reveal-dire-situation-inside-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"AGED CARE WORKERS REVEAL DIRE SITUATION INSIDE FACILITIES"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Aged care workers have delivered a damning verdict about the real situation facing aged care residents inside aged care facilities.<\/p>\r\n

Using their own star ratings system, 1000 reports of aged care workers have highlighted dangerously low staffing levels they are witnessing.<\/p>\r\n

More than 82% rated their aged care facilities as only one or two stars out of five on staffing, in findings contained in the Aged Care Watch Quality Snapshot<\/a> <\/em>released today.<\/p>\r\n

The verdict of aged care workers differs sharply from the self reporting of staffing levels made by aged care providers, where the most recent average rating is three stars or an \u201cacceptable\u201d level of staffing across the whole sector.<\/p>\r\n

However the 1000 reports from aged care workers, at an average of 1.8 stars on staffing, sits well below the Federal Government\u2019s rating of acceptable levels of staffing.<\/p>\r\n

The low ratings across more than 200 facilities in every state and territory in Australia indicate fundamental issues in providers meeting 215 minute-a-day care-time minute targets set by the Federal Government.<\/p>\r\n

Care-time minute targets are a key reform recommended by the Aged Care Royal Commission to address the neglect of residents occurring through rampant understaffing.<\/p>\r\n

The findings in today\u2019s report were obtained through Safe Staffing<\/em> reports filed by aged care workers since mid April through United Workers Union\u2019s online transparency tool, Aged Care Watch.<\/p>\r\n

Using the online tool, aged care workers have delivered insights that would be otherwise hidden to the public, providing clear signs providers are exaggerating their performance when reporting care-time minutes.<\/p>\r\n

Today\u2019s report also reveals providers regularly passing off non-direct care work \u2013 previously the domain of laundry, cleaning and catering staff \u2013 to direct care workers in apparent attempts to \u201ccook the books\u201d on care-time minute reporting that only covers direct care.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cStark differences between aged care workers and providers underline United Workers Union\u2019s consistent position that workers\u2019 views should be an essential part of the accountability for delivering these essential reforms,\u201d Catalina Gonzalez, Aged Care Director of United Workers Union, said today.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe reports reveal a huge gulf in care-time between what aged care workers are reporting on the ground and what providers say they are delivering.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe have seen this movie before, and it doesn\u2019t end well for aged care residents and aged care workers. Providers must be held accountable for delivering the care-time aged care residents need.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Background:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Aged care workers are asked in the Aged Care Watch Safe Staffing report to rate staffing levels on a one-to-five scale using the following criteria:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n