In order to counteract an impending shortage of staff, better working conditions and a financial upgrading of the nursing profession are needed even during training. “Nursing staff have a difficult and demanding job, they deserve our special support in many ways,” said Thomas Weninger, Secretary General of the Austrian Association of Cities, in a broadcast on Wednesday. According to the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (WIFO), there would be a shortage of 79,000 nursing professionals by 2050. “The lack of staff in nursing and care has been known for a long time and the situation will continue to worsen, on the one hand due to retirements, on the other hand due to demographic developments,” says Weninger. Regarding the training of nursing staff, he calls for more financial support, especially for people switching and returning to work. In addition, measures are needed to improve working conditions in nursing and care professions.
The Association of Cities, which represents the interests of cities and larger communities in Austria, is positive about the measures taken so far, such as the hospice and palliative fund, the report on the results of the care task force or the EU-funded pilot project “Community Nurses”. However, these measures could only be the beginning of implementing a comprehensive care package in Austria. “It must be clear that the Austrian Association of Cities and Towns will be involved in all reform considerations,” said Weninger.
Source: Nachrichten
