According to the Australian Medical Association, the Federal Government is guilty of "policy inertia" when it comes to addressing the needs of aged care residents.
Australia's top doctors' group says aged care facilities need more registered nurses and doctors are frustrated by the barriers which prevent them providing prompt medical care to elderly people in nursing homes.
AMA president Dr. Rosanna Capolingua says the Government needs to invest in IT infrastructure in aged care facilities to ensure there is a reliable system of patient records and says improvements are needed in Medicare rebates for patients when they do access doctors.
Dr. Capolingua warns that GP services to residents in aged care homes are under growing pressure and little has been done by past governments to establish policies that ensure effective medical care is available to frail and sick residents in a timely and suitable manner.
As part of General Practice Week, the AMA is calling for action to be taken to actively involve medical care in the daily operations of aged care homes.
The AMA wants to see aged care policies that introduce dedicated Medicare payments to improve access to GPs and medical specialists for older Australians.
They also want more GPs to be able to use general practice nurses to assist in the delivery of care in residential and community settings along with funding for community and residential aged care which meets the real costs of care.
Also called for are strategies that lead to wage parity between the acute and aged care sectors to encourage skilled nurses back into the sector with the capacity to deliver quality aged care services.