KEY POINTS:
A union representing workers at Auckland's Belhaven Rest Home, where an employee taped an elderly resident's mouth shut, says low rates of training and pay have created a sector marked by poor skills.
The Service and Food Workers Union's northern region secretary, Jill Ovens, said last night it did not condone the abuse of the woman - which is being investigated as an alleged assault by the police.
But pay rates as low as $12.55 an hour for rest home caregivers left the sector "quite unskilled' because it was hard to attract staff with the necessary abilities.
Lack of training was widespread and was a factor in incidents like last Friday's taping of the woman's mouth. Good training could help carers to learn how to handle difficult behaviour appropriately, Ms Ovens said.
However, Martin Taylor, chief executive of Healthcare Providers NZ, the group which represents rest home owners, said many caregivers now received training.
"A lot is in-house training; the large groups certainly do that. There's a lot of external training as well."
He said a survey by his organisation had found that the average pay for caregivers was now $13.15 an hour, an increase of $1.30 an hour since before last year's Budget.
The survey also found 25 per cent of caregivers had been in the sector for more than four years and that overall 75 per cent were "reasonably stable", leaving an annual turnover of 25 per cent.
He denounced the Belhaven abuse but said it appeared to be a one-off incident.
People who committed such abuse should be publicly named to reduce the risk of remaining undetected and being employed at another home.
But Ms Ovens said this was a "hysterical over-reaction".
People were usually named in criminal proceedings and doctors and nurses were typically identified after being found guilty of professional misconduct.
These formal procedures did not normally apply to a caregiver who was dismissed, so their name should not "go all over the place".
A new employer should check their references. "It's not uncommon for our members to agree to a police check, "she said.
"If found to have a police record they can be dismissed if they haven't declared it."
