Aged care homes are having to compete with hospitals for nurses, following a new federal government regulation that states that registered nurses be employed 24/7 across all nursing homes.
Wages for nurses in aged care tend to 25% lower than in hospitals, and Bupa Villages & Aged Care is finding it so hard to find more nurses that it is having to turn away new residents from some of its regional homes.
Bupa is urging the federal government to help address the lack of nurses by introducing a dedicated aged care visa and by modifying the pension system to attract nurses out of retirement.
