RN minutes in residential aged care forecast to drop dramatically over next 20 years: Ansell Strategic

The aged care consultancy’s latest quarterly Board Pack has been released – and there are several key takeaways for board members. The eight-page report – which covers the first quarter of FY24 – notes that most aged care providers were unable to meet the Federal Government’s mandated 200 direct care minutes requirements which started on 1 October this year. Those that have achieved the target are now recording the worst financial losses. Ansell Strategic forecasts that this target will be even less likely to be met into the future. Look at the table above It shows the average Registered Nurse minutes will decline from 35 minutes today to 21 minutes by 2042 – when the peak of the Baby Boomers is reached. “Because most providers are unable to meet the mandates, and because the targets become less attainable every year with our population ageing, there is an opportunity to rethink our strategy for staff targets,” states the report. “By leveraging split-level long term care classifications, as employed by most developed countries, the Australian Government would be able to better address clinical resource allocation, means testing and quality standards.” You can download the full board pack and insights here.