Australia: Queensland nursing home imports nurses from overseas
A QUEENSLAND nursing home will employ overseasnurses to overcome a staffing crisis caused by a statewide shortage ofup to 500 aged care nurses.
The 60-bed facility at Yeppoon, which has tried for nine months toattract enough staff to open, yesterday received approval to hire fournurses from South Africa.
As well as the need to hire overseas staff, there are concerns Brisbane has an acute shortage of aged care beds.
Aged care consultant Stan Manning said calculations based onState Government planning data showed another 7000 beds were needed.
He said about 2000 places were needed on the southside,including some centres which were approved but had not yet opened, anda shortfall of 5000 beds on the northside.
Ed: U.S. nursing homes have attempted to cope with similar shortage of skilled nursing care workers here, as well. See Foreign Caregivers Recruited by National Nursing Home Firm.