E007 Workforce. The shape of the problem.

This episode maps out the next six episodes. It separates the numbers that often get conflated (and confusing!) . It frames churn as a symptom of a deeper demand-supply problem and sets out why people leave and stay. Throughout the literature there are repeated links between staffing, both in regard to numbers and perceptions, and resident safety. Craig also discusses the impacts of standards, leadership, wages and reform. We know the factors associated with retention far better than which interventions fix it, and that retention alone cannot close the staffing gap.Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia. (n.d.). About workforce retention. Retrieved July 18, 2026, Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. ·      (2023, October 1). Mandatory care minutes boost care levels for older people in Australia [Media release].·      (2024). Nursing supply and demand study 2023–2035. Australian Government. ·      (n.d.). Professional FrameWork to build and strengthen the aged care workforce. Australian Government.·      (2024) (nursing model, early-career retention scenario).Australian Government Department of the Treasury. (2023). 2023 intergenerational report: Australia's future to 2063. Australian Government. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2026). Residential aged care quality indicators: January to March 2026(GEN 001). AIHW.Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association. (2023, June 21). Aged care nurses underutilised despite workforce shortage - survey [Media release]. Committee for Economic Development of Australia. (2022). Duty of care: Aged care sector in crisis. CEDA.Dawes, N., & Topp, S. M. (2022). Senior manager leadership competencies for quality residential aged care: An Australian industry perspective. BMC Health Services Research, 22, Article 508.Fair Work Ombudsman. (2025). Changes to minimum pay rates in the Nurses Award. Australian Government.Harbinson, S., & Chapman, M. (2025). Unlocking loyalty: Nurse retention in healthcare. Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management, 20(3), Article i5435. Kelly, C. (2024, February 16). Staff leave in their thousands, data shows. Australian Ageing Agenda.Ma, N., Sutton, N., Yang, J. S., Rawlings-Way, O., Brown, D., McAllister, G., Parker, D., & Lewis, R. (2023). The quality effects of agency staffing in residential aged care. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 42(1), 195–203. Morris, N., Jaffer, S., Rich, S. A., Syme-Lamont, K., & Blackberry, I. D. (2025). Equitable care for older Australians: A comparative analysis of aged care workforce shortages in metropolitan, rural, and remote Australia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(5), Article 656. Nhongo, D., Holt, A., Flenady, T., Rebar, A., & Bail, K. (2023). Nurse staffing and adverse events in residential aged care: Retrospective multi-site analysis. Collegian, 30(2), 343–349. O’Keefe, B., Yuen, E., Perlen, S., & Hutchinson, A. M. (2025). A systematic, integrative review exploring supports that promote the retention of employees working in the aged care sector. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 44, Article e70070. Roche, M. A., Duffield, C. M., Homer, C., Buchan, J., & Dimitrelis, S. (2015). The rate and cost of nurse turnover in Australia. Collegian, 22(4), 353–358. Southern Cross University. (n.d.). Improving staff retention in the health & welfare sector [Research impact case study]. Southern Cross University.Tan, J., Divakar, R., Barclay, L., Bayyavarapu Bapuji, S., Anderson, S., & Saar, E. (2025). Trends in retention and attrition in nine regulated health professions in Australia. Australian Health Review, 49, Article AH24268.Thwaites, C., McKercher, J. P., Fetherstonhaugh, D., Blackberry, I., Gilmartin-Thomas, J. F.-M., Taylor, N. F., Bourke, S. L., Fowler-Davis, S., Hammond, S., & Morris, M. E. (2023). Factors impacting retention of aged care workers: A systematic review. Healthcare, 11(23), Article 3008.