7 August 2019

Royal Commission Update
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will be holding hearings in Brisbane in August. Here the topic of aged care regulation will be addressed. Following this, over September and October hearings will be held in Melbourne. Here inquiries will be made into younger people in residential aged care, diversity in aged care, and the aged care workforce. Further hearings are expected to take place in November and December. It is likely that Tasmania will be among the chosen locations for these, given the Royal Commission’s intention to conduct hearings in all capital cities and a number of regional locations.

The voice of the ANMF has been strong throughout proceedings to date. This includes submissions from our own Federal Secretary, Annie Butler. Annie gave evidence at the February hearing, while three ANMF members testified during the May hearing. In addition, some 2,775 employees working in aged care across Australia, responded to the ANMF National Aged Care Survey. This data has been used to inform ANMF written submissions for the Royal Commission.

The ANMF will continue to contribute at each stage of the Royal Commission proceedings. It is our objective to ensure the Commissioner’s hear the voice of our aged care members as they work towards developing recommendations to address the current crisis.

Mt St Vincent Nursing Home and Therapy Centre
ANMF members working at Mt St Vincent Nursing Home and Therapy Centre met on 29 July 2019 to discuss concerns about the transfer to Respect Aged Care. The lack of detailed information is causing concern amongst staff. The ANMF have relayed these concerns in writing to the Respect Chief Executive Officer and the Human Resources Adviser. Respect advise that there will be no changes until members are notified. Members will receive letters outlining options for ongoing employment under current conditions of employment or contracts. These conditions will apply until superseded by a Respect agreement. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the change, please contact the ANMF Member Support Team here.

Medea Park Residential Care St Helens
ANMF officials met with members at Medea Park Thursday 12 June, to discuss professional and industrial issues. Members raised concerns regarding rosters and pay issues following the implementation of a new roster and payroll system. The ANMF wrote to Medea Park management on 18 July to raise concerns put forward by members. To date, the ANMF are still awaiting a response. Once this has been received, we will schedule a report back meeting with members where further direction will be discussed.

Statewide site visits
Over the past fortnight, Member Communication and Engagement Officer, Mandy Clark, has visited several aged care facilities across the state. During these visits, Mandy takes the opportunity to touch base with members and discuss any workplace issues or concerns they may be having as well as prompting discussions regarding upcoming enterprise agreements. Visited sites include: Southern Cross Care sites Guilford Young Grove, Mary’s Grange, Sandown, Fairway Rise, Rosary Gardens, Ainslie Park, and Glenara Lakes. As well as, Huon Regional Care Dover, Franklin, and Tasman sites. The overall theme of discussion across all of these aged care sites, seems to be one of workloads. This is not a new concern for members and the ANMF continue to fight for ratios in aged care as a solution. Keep an eye out for Mandy over the coming fortnight. She travels from edge to edge of the state and often has tasty snacks and handy pens with her.