The state government has vowed to fix a federal bungle and “see all aged care workers vaccinated as soon as possible” after it was revealed just 8.7 per cent had their second jab.
Health by MADURA McCORMACK
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Subscriber only A vaccination blitz of Queensland aged care workers will be taken on by the state government as it steps up to fix the federal government s botched vaccine rollout in the sector. The Federal government on Tuesday was forced to reveal just 8.7 per cent of workers in the sector had received two jabs so far. The dire figure prompted Victoria, which is grappling with a 54-case outbreak, to announce it would undertake a five-day vaccination blitz from Wednesday by giving aged care workers priority access to jab hubs. The Courier-Mail understands plans for a similar blitz in Queensland using the state s existing hospital Pfizer-hub will be finalised in coming days.
Politics by Sue Dunlevy
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Subscriber only Tens of thousands of older people who need help to stay at home will miss out because a budget funding increase is $1.4 billion short of what is required. The revelation came as aged care providers, nurses and pensioners welcomed the record $17.7 billion funding injection for aged care but agreed it was not enough to fix the neglect of our elderly. A detailed analysis by the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association reveals the 100,000-long waiting list for home care packages won t be eliminated by extra funding in the budget. The government s own data shows in December there were 96,859 people waiting for a home care package but the budget will fund only 40,000 new places next financial year and a further 40,000 places from July 2022.
Royal commission proves we need a new Aged Care Act
By Sarah Russell
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Two years ago, the Prime Minister announced a royal commission into aged care. This announcement came on the eve of ABC
Four Corners’ two-part investigation into the failings in aged care. “Government by media” had replaced careful consideration of the evidence.
Before jumping into another expensive royal commission, it would have been prudent for Scott Morrison to review the evidence from the numerous inquiries that both Coalition and Labor governments had initiated over the past two decades. Submissions to these inquiries provided evidence of inadequate personal care, negligence, neglect, abuse and assault in aged care homes.