Nursing shortage in Innsbruck: bed ban, home places only at the highest level of care
There are difficulties in getting a place in a home. For example, only people with the highest levels of care can currently be admitted to the ISD. By blocking beds, the ISD tries to minimize the negative effects on the residents and their homes, between 30 and 50 urgent cases are on the waiting list. The answer to a GR request from GR Helmut Buchacher paints a drastic picture of the care situation in Innsbruck.
INNSBRUCK. “You don’t know anything exactly and there’s no need to hurry,” summed up with a lot of sarcasm GR Helmut Buchacher the query response to the nursing shortage in Innsbruck. With ten questions, Buchacher wanted to clarify the current situation, the answers paint a clear picture. The long-standing employee representative is again calling for a package of measures to actively combat the nursing shortage. “We can’t just sit out this problem and put it off, we must finally and above all take action now,” Buchacher sees an enormous need for action on the part of politicians.
“The topic is not suitable for party-political trench warfare and tactical gimmicks,” Buchacher appealed to fellow city councilors to take off their party-political glasses when making applications to combat the nursing shortage. “The answers to the municipal council’s request clearly show that there is a need for action and that our work should long since go beyond holding round tables or workshops,” says Buchachergehen.
The request
Which future strategies and measures has been decided by the city of Innsbruck in order to remedy the nursing shortage in the short and long term?
Answer: A distinction must be made between measures decided by the city of Innsbruck and other cooperation and activities. Measures that have already been decided/implemented are:
a) Community Nurse
b) Creation of a care coordination office
c) Contract on the priority allocation of beds to citizens of the provincial capital of Innsbruck in the St. Vinzenz home.
d) further service apartments for nursing staff of the Innsbrucker Soziale Diensten GmbH (ISD)
e) Anchoring of the care strategy 2033 in the city budget including submission of the associated city senate proposal.
Question 2: What insights did those responsible gain at the event (round table) on the nursing shortage and what should be implemented by when?
Answer:
a) Continuation of Networking with all relevant system partners, in particular the service providers in mobile and inpatient care, such as the round table on September 30th and October 6th, 2021.
b) Continuation of intensive magistrate’s internal Preparatory work, workshops and meetings to create the care strategy together with the ISD, social planning, Mag.-Abt. II, social affairs, health management, Mag.-Abt. I, statistics and reporting, e.g. on 13 May, 10 June, 01 September, 07 September, 27 October, 08 November, 15 November. and 29.11.2022.
c) Through the lectures and technical expertise, such as B. by Urs Sieber, Managing Director of the Swiss umbrella organization Health OdASante, supported by the department-leading mayor deputy. Ing. Mag. Anzengruber BSc and the ISD the introduction of a dual training that has been possible in Switzerland since 2004, ie a Apprenticeship for assistant professions in nursing. In Austria, this will be possible from the beginning of 2023.
d) improvements/optimizations nostrifications are particularly important. A relief is z. B. the possibility for foreign nurses to work as nursing assistants or nursing assistants until the nostrification is completed. (Editor’s note: Nostrification (from Latin noster or nostra “our[e]”) refers to the recognition of foreign school and university degrees as well as academic degrees.)
e) Strengthening of International cooperationto recruit foreign workers for care work in Innsbruck homes.
Question 3: What are the effects of the nursing shortage on the current home residents?
Answer: Through By blocking beds, the ISD tries to minimize the negative effects on the residents of its homes.
Question 4: What are the consequences of the lack of care for the older generation and for their relatives who have applied for a home and care place?
Answer: There is considerable difficulty in getting a place in a home. For example, only people with the highest levels of care can currently be admitted to the ISD.
Question 5: What are the plans for this?
Answer: Hope that the measures outlined under answer 1 a) to e) will have an effect. The same applies to the expansion of legal measures by the federal government and the state of Tyrol (see also the answer to question 9).
Question 6: How many people are on the waiting list for a public or private place in a nursing home?
Answer:
a) About the waiting lists of private homes cannot provide any information are given or these are not known.
b) ISD social service: are in times of increased demand between 30 and 50 urgent cases on the waiting list. The urgency of acute care places is also due to the discharge of patients from the Tyrol clinics, whereby the actual needs are extremely difficult to predict or plan, despite the great interests of the ISD social service.
Question 7: In which public and private retirement homes are there how many empty beds and when do you intend to use them again?
Answer: A broadcast at the end of November 2022 revealed that in all homes (excluding the private senior citizens’ residence) in the city of Innsbruck just over 100 places are not occupied.
Question 8: What support measures are planned by the city for the 24-hour caregivers?
Answer: There is no 24-hour care, but “only” 24-hour care. This range of services is provided in the Care Strategy 2033 taken into account.
BezirksBlätter Innsbruck Contributions to the ISD can be found here
Question 9: What support measures are planned for the training and further education of nurses and when can implementation be expected?
Answer: Reference to the measures of the federal government/state of Tyrol:
a) Amendment to the Nursing Training Purpose Grant Act: nursing grant €1,400 per month from January 1st, 2023 for job seekers and people on leave by applying to the Public Employment Service (AMS).
b) Amendment of the Pay Increase Purpose Grant Act: there has been a monthly one since September 1st, 2022 financial support from € 600 for nursing and social care professional training in Austria/Tyrol – also for those people who do not meet the requirements according to answer 9 a); you will continue to receive the monthly subsidy of € 600.00.
c) training grant of the State of Tyrol: Subsidy towards living expenses for training as a nursing assistant or nursing assistant with a simultaneous reduction in the extent of employment.
d) AMS specialist grant: Reimbursement of the cost of living during nursing training.
Additional measure: unique AK Education Promotion (Future share) for graduates depending on the degree in the amount of € 300.00 up to € 1,000.00
In addition, the ISD offers their own for people who do not fall under answers 9 a) and b). Retraining and incentive schemes a.
Another important measure – made possible by a regulation in an additional collective agreement of the Association of Austrian Social and Health Companies (SWÖ) – is: all professional groups in the nursing and social professions in SWÖ in Tyrol receive one Bonus of € 1,900.00 (gross per full-time equivalent). Accordingly, the prerequisites for receiving the total amount are full-time employment and employment throughout the year. Employees who do not work full-time or who only joined an SWÖ company during 2022 will receive their bonus aliquot. The SWÖ companies are reimbursed the total amount advanced by the state of Tyrol.
Question 10: Which measures have been implemented so far to apply for nursing staff?
Answer:
a) Big thank you campaign on trams operated by Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe and Stubaitalbahn GmbH (IVB), poster stands, company cars and social media.
b) other employer branding activities, e.g. E.g.: new ISD campaign 2023, various PR activities.
c) Taking over the sponsorship of participants of the AMG Foundation (currently 18 people).
d) Recruitment Colombia: 11 people are already here, 8-10 are coming in the first half of 2023.
e) Personnel recruitment Egypt: 10-20 people could come.
f) Nursing assistant training at the West Training Center for Health Professions (AZW) with operational financial support from the ISD: start in October 2022.
g) Project to apply in the first half of the year via social media.
h) years of commitment to the introduction of nursing teaching.
i) Preparation for start e.g. B. Mentor training, presentation at compulsory schools as soon as the start is fixed.
j) Social (great ISD celebrations and company outings)