Generational reform or too little too late? The budget verdict
The government will plough $17.7 billion into aged care in the aftermath of the royal commission inquiry
“This is a once-in-a-generation reform to aged care to deliver respect, care and dignity to our senior Australians.”
That was what Minister for Health Greg Hunt declared after last night’s budget, which included $17.7 billion to fix a system whose failures were exposed in graphic detail by last year’s royal commission.
The reforms, for the first time, include a commitment that staff spend at least 200 minutes a day with each resident, including 40 minutes with a registered nurse.
There were no details of how this would be done in practice or where the workforce would be found.
