Morris Nicholas, Jaffer Susan, Rich Stacey Ann, Syme-Lamont Kate, Blackberry Irene D
Care Economy Research Institute, La Trobe University, Wodonga, VIC 3689, Australia.
Law School, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3083, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Apr 22;22(5):656. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22050656.
The Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has highlighted the chronic shortages of labour to provide care for those aged 65 and over in rural and remote areas of Australia. This descriptive cross-sectional study compares the availability of care provision in metropolitan regions with that in rural and remote regions. We analysed the 2021 Australian Census, grouped according to Aged-Care-Planning Region (ACPR), and investigated the numbers of people aged 65 years and over with different levels of care need, both in residential care and in-home. The available workforce in each ACPR was also examined in detail, using occupational classifications reported in the Census, and shortages of doctors, nurses, allied health and other care workers were identified. Overall, an additional 492,416 care hours were needed per week (or 12,958 full-time equivalent (FTE) care workers) in order to bring remote community ACPRs to parity with provision in metropolitan ACPRs. A further 95,342 FTE workers were needed in rural ACPRs to bring these areas to parity with metropolitan ACPRs. Our findings underscore the ongoing disparities in aged care workforce availability between metropolitan, rural, and remote regions of Australia. Addressing these workforce shortages is crucial to ensuring equitable access to care for older Australians, regardless of their geographical location. The implementation of targeted strategies to enhance workforce recruitment, retention, and training in these underserved areas is essential to bridge the gap and improve the quality of care provided to older adults in rural and remote communities. Such strategies could include targeted recruitment campaigns and incentives for professionals to relocate; further capacity for clinical placements and supervision in rural areas; tailoring funding and employment models for rural needs; and strengthening vocational education in regional areas.
澳大利亚皇家老年护理质量与安全委员会强调，澳大利亚农村和偏远地区在为65岁及以上老年人提供护理方面长期存在劳动力短缺问题。这项描述性横断面研究比较了大都市地区与农村和偏远地区的护理服务可及性。我们分析了2021年澳大利亚人口普查数据，按照老年护理规划区域（ACPR）进行分组，调查了65岁及以上不同护理需求水平的老年人在机构护理和居家护理中的人数。还使用人口普查报告的职业分类详细研究了每个ACPR的可用劳动力，并确定了医生、护士、专职医疗人员和其他护理人员的短缺情况。总体而言，为使偏远社区的ACPR与大都市地区的ACPR在护理服务提供上达到同等水平，每周需要额外增加492,416个护理小时（或12,958个全职等效护理人员）。农村ACPR还需要另外95,342名全职等效工作人员，以使这些地区与大都市地区的ACPR达到同等水平。我们的研究结果凸显了澳大利亚大都市、农村和偏远地区在老年护理劳动力可及性方面持续存在的差距。解决这些劳动力短缺问题对于确保澳大利亚老年人无论身处何地都能公平获得护理服务至关重要。实施有针对性的战略以加强这些服务不足地区的劳动力招聘、留用和培训，对于弥合差距和提高农村及偏远社区老年人的护理质量至关重要。此类战略可包括针对性的招聘活动和吸引专业人员搬迁的激励措施；进一步提高农村地区临床实习和监督的能力；根据农村需求调整资金和就业模式；以及加强地区职业教育。
