Doctors and aged care specialists are warning of a staffing crisis in Melbourne's nursing homes, with a peak body saying the military may need to be called in to help care for frail and elderly residents.
Key points:
Victoria recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic on Friday, with five of the seven people who died linked to aged care homes.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) called for urgent action to protect aged care home residents including a "surge" of staff from interstate.
The peak body for church, not for profit and charitable aged care providers said facilities were battling to find staff and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive Patricia Sparrow said providers were struggling to fill rosters because workers were either self-isolating, waiting for a test result or "plain scared".
"We know that COVID is deadly for older Australians … we need more support to keep them safe."
She joined the AMA in calling for greater coordination by the Commonwealth, but also said the military might need to be called upon.
She said having military in nursing homes would not be ideal, but the situation was becoming dire.
"It's not something I would want to see happen, but we have to have staff in there so we have to make sure … that we've got staff."
At least 40 aged care facilities across Victoria, mainly in Melbourne, have recorded at least one case of COVID-19.
A cluster of cases at the St Basil's Homes for the Aged facility in Fawkner has grown to 73 cases and the Estia Health facility in Ardeer is linked to 68 infections.
Five more nursing homes recorded coronavirus infections on Friday, with cases recorded at Outlook Gardens in Dandenong North, BlueCross Riverlea in Avondale Heights, Villa Maria Catholic Homes St Bernadette's Aged Care Residence in Sunshine North, Fronditha Care St Albans and Japara Yarra West in Yarraville.
Hospital 'best place' for aged care residents with COVID-19
Ms Sparrow called for any aged care resident who tested positive to COVID-19 to be sent to hospital.
"We're not hospitals, we can't provide hospital-level care … we also need a fighting chance to stop the spread in facilities."
She said while Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said aged care residents with coronavirus should only be moved to hospital on a case-by-case basis, other experts believed hospital was a safer option.
"We think hospital is the best place for someone who's got COVID to go to get a good health outcome but we also have additional residents who we're responsible for," Ms Sparrow said.
Nursing home worker, aged 53, in ICU
The Health Workers Union also called for urgent action.
Union Secretary Diana Asmar said she was devastated an aged care worker was currently in intensive care.
"Our hearts and prayers are with our 53-year-old personal care attendant that is currently in ICU."
"We do have, unfortunately a health worker with COVID-19 in ICU and unfortunately there may be many more to come."
Ms Asmar said she was also "hugely concerned" about a shortage of PPE.
"The unfortunate situation that happened at St Basil's may be an indication of what may happen across all of Melbourne."
She said Victoria Police and the health and safety regulator WorkSafe needed to do spot checks on aged care homes to make sure proper PPE was in use and protocols were being followed.
She also called for a retention bonus to be broadened to cover all aged care workers including cleaners, kitchen and laundry workers.
Virus 'turned the burner up' on aged care issues
Federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said more than 400 staff had been brought in to Victorian aged care homes in the past few weeks.
But the AMA wants the Federal Government to intervene and coordinate the response, with president Tony Bartone warning there were "significant stresses" on the workforce, which already had issues before the pandemic.
"COVID-19 turned the Bunsen burner up on the problems in aged care," Dr Bartone said.
He said it was unfortunate to see "a stubbornly high number of increasing infections amongst residents and aged care staff".
Dr Bartone said steps taken this week to try to stem the increasing rate of infections in aged care, including limiting the number of facilities staff can work at, mandating the use of masks and additional PPE, were not enough.
"More needs to be done. We need that surge workforce capacity, we need that coordination, we need those guidelines to be enforced and make sure that they are being routinely followed," Dr Bartone said.
"The sector does need more support and it needs that support urgently."
He said doctors supported the toughening of restrictions in Victoria.
"Stage 4 restrictions would really significantly curtail the movement in the community of all non-essential workers. That would send a powerful message both in terms of the seriousness and also reduce the movement and mixing."
"It seems clear now that we will need every bit of that six weeks and maybe more", he said of the stay-at-home restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire which are currently in place until August 19.
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2020-07-24 21:00:00Z
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