As the need for reform within the health system took the spotlight at Friday's national cabinet meeting, it's been revealed the federal government has engaged the services of the University of Wollongong.
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The university reportedly has a $400,000, six-month consultancy for the development of "alternative arrangements" for the mandatory requirement of a nurse 24/7 in residential aged care facilities.
When contacted the university pushed further inquiries on the subject to the Department of Health and Aged Care, however, the agency has not responded to the Mercury's inquiries.
The mandatory nursing requirement was a key feature of then Opposition leader Anthony Albanese's 2022 Budget reply.
After Labor's May 2022 election victory, the government passed the legislation in federal parliament in October last year.
And while the aged-care Royal Commission made a similar recommendation, Mr Albanese fast-tracked the plan to have a nurse in residential aged-care homes by July 1 this year.
Earlier this month the Prime Minister said the government made "no apology" for its ambitious requirement, despite warnings that struggling providers will shut down if they can't fill rosters.
Those comments came after Wesley Mission announced it was closing all its Sydney aged care homes as it was unable to meet the government's July 1 deadline.
At the time Mr Albanese also said about five per cent of the industry's facilities had been granted exemptions.
They had "valid reasons" for not meeting the targets, he said. Providers would not be shut down by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, he said.
Advice from an interim report, expected to be delivered in May, will go some way to helping the government "refine" the exemption policy which would allow areas with fewer than 30 beds to be exempt from the 24/7 nurse policy until enough nurses could be employed.
Earlier this week, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson said she did not expect the legislation would lead to closures despite industry concern.
"I would be beyond surprised if a service was making a call to close their doors just because there were new responsibilities."
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