Government spends another $207K on ‘surge support’ for aged care workforce during COVID-19 – but operators will pay

A sign that the Government fears more staff not turning up for work as community outbreaks increase?

The Department of Health has announced it has hired Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association (RCSA) and Healthcare Australia (HCA) to provide an additional surge workforce – starting from yesterday until 30 September 2020 – to “ensure the continuity of aged care during COVID-19”.

RCSA bills itself as the peak body for the recruitment and staffing industry in Australia and New Zealand, while HCA is a nationwide healthcare staffing organisation with a range of agencies that provide aged care and disability workers as well as nurses, midwives, doctors and allied health.

“These arrangements complement the temporary surge workforce through Mable’s online platform, and the emergency response teams and remote locums through Aspen Medical that are already in place,” the Department states.

“The new services allow residential and home care providers to access a wider pool of workforce suppliers when looking to engage additional staff to supplement their workforce in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.”

“If providers are unable to find all required staff through their usual arrangements, the workforce surge measures are in place to help providers find skilled workforce to fill critical gaps or shortages.”

Providers will have to foot the bill however – at least initially.

The Department says unlike the support available through Aspen Medical or Mable where the Government pays the costs for staff deployed during a COVID-19 outbreak, engaged through RCSA and HCA will be invoiced directly to the providers, and “may be reimbursed through the COVID-19 Aged Care Support Grant Program” – so providers will need to apply for a grant to recoup their costs.

Given Mable CEO Peter Scutt tells us only a small number of operators have taken up the offer of surge staffing through their platform, will providers want to use this option if they may not be reimbursed?