Catholic Health Australia has today warned that dozens of aged care homes around Australia are on the verge of collapse due to the heavy drain on their already-strained finances created by the resurgence of COVID-19.
In a statement, the Catholic care organisation said the number of homes affected by an outbreak had “exploded” from 210 at the beginning of March to 846 in the latest recorded period.
Resident cases have similarly risen from 1618 to 6,361 over the same period, while staff cases have risen from 1,297 to 5,243, it said.
CHA Strategy & Mission Director, Brigid Meney said while the Commonwealth reimburses costs when there is an outbreak, the extra costs of infection prevention are not covered.
“Around half the aged care homes in Australia are only barely able to make ends meet and now the extra costs associated with this new wave of COVID are going to push them over the edge,” Ms Meney said.
“Buying and managing PPE inventories and disposal, extra measures for ensuring safer visitations, additional costs associated with disruptions to rosters due to staff infections, co-ordination of up-to-date vaccinations – all of this costs money that’s just not available readily within the budgets of most homes.
“Homes in regional areas are particularly vulnerable given how precarious most were pre-pandemic. 60% of regional are currently running at a loss, which you obviously just can’t sustain for long.”
She said extra Commonwealth funding streams were desperately needed for homes to manage current and future waves of COVID-19.
“We know from bitter experience that more deaths follow hard on the heels of rising case numbers. There have already been 1,107 reported COVID-related deaths in aged care homes in 2022, compared with 686 and 231 in 2020 and 2021 respectively.”
“If we don’t see a special stream of funding opened up urgently we will see deaths rising and homes shutting their doors. The situation is now sadly that stark and that simple,” said Ms Meney.
