Submission to the Aged Care Workforce Strategy

This document is a submission made in 2018 by the APS to the Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce.

The particular focus of this submission is on how the capacity of the workforce can be enhanced to address the unacceptably high unmet mental health needs of older Australians. Ensuring the aged care workforce has the appropriate education and training to be able to effectively identify, assess, manage and treat mental health issues as they arise is paramount. 

Also of great importance is maintaining the mental health and wellbeing of the aged care workforce itself, which directly impacts on its capacity to care for aged care consumers. It is vital that working in the aged care sector is regarded as a reputable profession and one which people actively aspire and choose to work in. Having a strong and vibrant workforce culture, underpinned by core values of care and compassion, is essential to support some of the most vulnerable and deserving people in our community.

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