DGrateful gossip, talk show appearances by nurses, bonus payments, legal advances for higher pay, for more staff and better working conditions: care for the elderly and the sick cannot complain about a lack of attention since the beginning of the corona pandemic. And yet not much has changed in the catastrophic situation in many homes and clinics, it said on Thursday at the German Nursing Day in Berlin.
If there is still no “serious reform” of the health care system to strengthen professional care, “care will no longer take place”, warned the President of the German Nursing Council, Christine Vogler, at the beginning of the two-day event. She called for better pay, more agreeable working hours, greater co-determination and more responsibility. “We are not an assistant profession,” said the trained nurse.
The demands of the industry representatives include the adoption of a general health care professions law, which would give the nursing staff more powers, similar to other countries. The traffic light government is striving for something similar, but its previous regulations have not improved the situation, Vogler complained. If things continue like this, there will be a shortage of 500,000 workers in ten years. Countermeasures can only be taken by increasing the attractiveness of the profession, for example with more comprehensive training and opportunities for advancement. The gross basic wage must rise to a “just” 4,000 euros a month.
Billion deficit in long-term care insurance
The chairwoman of the AOK federal association, Carola Reimann, criticized on the occasion of the nursing day that a deficit of 2.4 billion euros was expected in nursing care insurance in 2022. To cover it, there is a federal loan of one billion for the first time, but this has to be repaid in 2023. Even the recent federal subsidy of one billion euros is not enough. In order to ease the situation, the federal government would have to take over the pension contributions for caring relatives, according to Reimann. She also suggested suspending the filling of the care provision fund, into which 1.6 billion euros in contributions flow every year.
Social organizations used the care day as an opportunity to draw attention to relatives who take care of old, weak and sick family members. The increase in care allowance is in the coalition agreement, but it has not increased since 2017.
In addition, the Corona crisis in the facilities is not yet over. At least until the end of the year, the staff is obliged to provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19. With the change in the Infection Protection Act, there have also been new obligations to test and wear a mask since October 1st. For example, residents in common rooms must wear mouth and nose protection. In this context, Vogler spoke of the paternalism of an entire professional group. It would be better to leave the corona protection free to the nursing staff.
Outside of the care day, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) agreed with the care industry and with welfare and municipal associations on Thursday to continue protection concepts in the facilities. Since the beginning of the month, this has included the appointment of officers who take care of hygiene, testing, vaccination and the provision of antiviral drugs. It was agreed that vaccination rates would be reported to the health authorities and that visits would not be restricted and that people would not be isolated for protective measures.
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