SAWTELL Catholic Care (SCC) celebrated the launch of a partnership designed to provide specialist aged care nursing training that will address some of the issues raised by the recent Royal Commission into Aged Care report.

The partnership, referred to as the Nursing in Aged Care Collaborative (NACC), is with universities including Southern Cross Uni (SCU), University of Wollongong (UOW) and The University of NSW (UNSW) and a dozen other Aged Care providers that operate locally and nationally to support the development of a Gerontological Nursing Competencies (GNC) program.

The competencies program will provide a pathway for Aged Care Nursing practitioners to enhance their skills and provide a pathway to improved service provision and career enhancements for Registered Nurses and Enrolled Nurses working in the sector.

Associate Professor Vicki Traynor from UOW has been involved as a project lead and described the competencies as having, “National focus and rollout and which has eleven core competencies delivered as part of five modules in a twelve-month program that will match the new standards for the industry.

“Completion of the competencies would also give nurses the equivalent of up to six university credit points.”

In a written address delivered by Electorate Officer Liz Newberry, Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan said, “The NACC features 15 member organisations that have made contributions to this program.

“This GNC program can be virtually rolled out nationally and will play a vital role in the betterment of treatment for aged care residents, no matter at what level of access the service, while providing the RNs with professional, ongoing training and management of their individual portfolio of competency evidence.”

SCC CEO Michael Darragh said at the event, “The program has been two years in development and is now ready for release at the most fortuitous time for aged care, a Government ready to implement change off the back of a Royal Commission Report into the aged care sector, a public willing for those changes to be introduced and an industry keen to modernise and look to the future.

“This is how We Care’ for our community.”

 

By David TUNE