Providers encouraged to apply for RN payment

Applications are now open for the Australian Government’s Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment.

The 2021 budget initiative worth up to $6,000 per individual each year for two years aims to reward RNs who stay with the same employer, work in rural areas or undertake postgraduate education or more responsibilities.

Aged care providers must apply for the payment on behalf of their eligible staff – a requirement that raised concerns at the time of the announcement.

The Department of Health and Aged Care advises that the full payment should be passed onto staff as soon as possible. “The Department of Health and Aged Care will conduct audits throughout the grants process and require evidence of payment to eligible registered nurses.”

Chief nursing and midwifery officer Professor Alison McMillan said the payment recognised the contribution that registered nurses make in providing quality care for our older Australians.

“Registered nurses continue to provide excellence in clinical leadership across aged care. I encourage aged care providers to apply for the registered nurses’ payment and pass it onto their staff as soon as possible,” Professor McMillan said in a statement.

“This is another way we can demonstrate how much we value and appreciate these wonderful professionals,” she said.

“The payment also further recognises and rewards nurses who work in rural towns and communities, and in remote and very remote communities. Nurses who complete formal post-graduate qualifications or take on additional responsibilities such as management, training and Infection Prevention and Control are also recognised,” Professor McMillan said.

Payment eligibility

The Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment is available to registered nurses working in residential aged care, in-home care and Commonwealth Home Support Program settings. Registered nurses must have worked with the same aged care provider over the eligibility period.

The periods for the first round of payments are:

• 1 November 2021 – 31 October 2022
• 1 May 2022 – 31 October 2022.

The payment of up to $6,000 is available for full-time registered nurses for the year-long period with amounts available on a pro-rata basis for eligible part-time nurses and the six-month period.

Under the initiative, full-time RNs who work for the same aged care provider for 12 months can receive a core payment of $3,700 for the year. Full-time nurses can receive an additional $2,300 if they work in a rural or remote area, hold a post-graduate qualification or take on additional leadership or training responsibilities in their organisation.

Aged care providers can apply for the Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment through a non-competitive grant process on Grant Connect. Applications close on
14 December 2022. 

More information on the Aged Care Registered Nurses’ Payment is on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

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