Like so many others in aged care, Viv Allanson says it is going to be "impossible" for her facility to meet key government deadlines for new standards in the sector, saying "the pressure is absolutely enormous".
Ms Allanson runs Maroba Aged Care in the New South Wales city of Newcastle, which is scrambling to recruit enough registered nurses to staff the facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"They're just impossible to get," she said.
"Our facility has been advertising since last May and we're still finding we can't fill the positions."
Under a pre-election promise, Labor pledged to have a registered nurse on duty in every facility 24/7 from July and to provide residents with 200 minutes of care each day by October — both recommendations from the Aged Care Royal Commission.
The looming deadline is more troublesome for aged care providers in regional Australia, where recruitment and retention of medical staff has long been difficult.
Ms Allanson said the aged care sector has long warned the changes would exacerbate existing worker shortages and suspected the ambitious deadline was politically-motivated.
"I think they set those targets for political expediency and looks good with the electors, being tough on aged care," she said.
"We know and the world knows it's going to be impossible to meet."
Health Department figures from late last year, released under Freedom of Information, illustrate the scale of the challenge estimating the new rules would create a shortfall of 11,758 registered nurses and 13,679 personal care workers next financial year.
A spokesperson for Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said the workforce gap had shrunk since that briefing note was produced and estimated an extra 8,400 registered nurses and 13,300 personal care workers would be needed.
Aged and Community Care Providers Association CEO Tom Symondson said providers were "very concerned" about meeting the "incredibly challenging" deadline for the new rules, pointing to a worldwide worker shortage.
"I'd love to think that … by the deadline in July and also in October … that we could have every single worker that we needed," he said.
"I don't think it's realistic to say that we will. I just don't think that's likely.
"It's a very stressful time for us in the aged care sector."
Pay rise, migration to fill gaps
The government believes a 15 per cent pay rise it's funding for the aged care sector, combined with a return to regular skilled migration levels, will see that gap close even further.
But thousands of positions are still to be filled.
Since July last year, 3,009 visa applications for registered nurses in aged care had been lodged with Home Affairs and of those, 2184 approved.
In Victoria's picturesque alpine region, aged care providers such as Alpine Health are going to great lengths to recruit workers as the deadline looms.
Alpine Health CEO Nick Shaw said the provider was offering a $5,000 incentive, and short-term accommodation, to workers who took up a permanent, full-time role at its facilities in Bright, Myrtleford or Mount Beauty.
"It's a really, really competitive environment at the moment so we've tried to make a point of distinction," he said.
"The cost of employment is great for any small rural health service but the cost of not having a competent and skilled workforce is greater."
Smaller nursing homes with fewer than 30 beds — about five per cent of the nation's facilities — can apply for a 12 month exemption from the requirement for round-the-clock nursing.
The Health Department said it "will not have a definitive picture of the number of facilities delivering 24/7 RN care" until after the July 1 deadline.
Mr Symondson said it was unclear what penalty would be imposed on facilities that failed to implement the new measures on time.
"We don't know what the penalty will be," he said.
"We hope that the government and the commission that regulates us will understand that we are doing our absolute best to meet the requirements.
"But we are not miracle workers … we really should not be penalised if we can't achieve it."
