The Australian Medical Association intends to push again for proper remuneration, including a telehealth MBS item number, for caring for patients in residential aged care facilities.
The AMA is warning of an impending crisis in healthcare for older people as GPs and other medical specialists reduce in-person visits to RACFs due to the amount of time required and lack of suitable remuneration, allied to the decline in registered nurse numbers staffing aged care homes.
The AMA has identified the shortage of RNs employed by RACFs as the biggest priority in aged care reform, with a survey of members saying that having sufficient numbers of experienced nurses available is their top priority. Two-thirds (65.92 per cent) rate this as urgent or extremely urgent.
