Aged care experts say government underestimates number of nurses required for 24-hour support

Leaders in the sector say more than 1,000 nurses needed to fill gaps, compared with 869 from health department modelling

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The aged care sector says the federal government has underestimated the number of registered nurses required to fulfil a key election promise of providing 24-hour coverage to all aged care homes.

The aged care minister, Anika Wells, said government modelling showed that 869 additional registered nurses were needed to meet election commitments of increasing the number of care minutes that residents receive and mandating a registered nurse in all facilities on a 24-hour basis by July 2023.

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