Care Staffing Turnover: Grey Power’s Concerns

Tuesday, 5 June 2007

Media release

RE: GREY POWER’S CONCERNS

We, as an organisation, have real concerns about the very high turnover of
staff providing daily care for older New Zealanders in their homes.

The recent release from Business New Zealand has a turnover rate of 39 percent, but our information is that in some areas it is much higher, which would reflect somewhat detrimentally on them.

Even if this figure is accepted, it means experienced, trained staff that can give high quality care, do not stay in the workforce. If we are going to secure the future of this industry, we need to reduce turnover rates and get wages increasing.

Collectivising the workforce is one option the government has proposed to ensure that the additional funding it has given to aged care gets to the carers themselves, but there has been no suggestion to date that this should be compulsory as Business New Zealand claimed today. There is of course no proposition from Business NZ, just criticism.

Grey Power does not care about disputes between government and Business New Zealand, our only concern is the adequate care of the elderly and the sooner this becomes paramount, by both government and Business NZ, the better off the care of the elderly will be.

ENDS

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