ACSA eyes consumer advocacy role

ACSA has lost momentum in representing the views of aged care clients and should reclaim the space dominated by consumer groups, CEO John Kelly told its national conference on Wednesday.

Outlining ACSA’s priorities for 2014, Adj Prof Kelly said he wanted to see the industry peak take on a greater leadership role in the representation of consumers of aged services – territory currently being dominated by COTA Australia and Alzheimer’s Australia.

Responding to proposals during the conference for a beefed up, unified advocacy voice for aged care, Adj Prof Kelly said it was a double-edged sword. While he agreed that a unified view put to government had a better chance of being listened to, he said equal representation in a large advocacy association such as the National Aged Care Alliance could be problematic.

“[In NACA] when you have 38 major organisations, one of which is ACSA and we represent 70 per cent of the community and residential aged care sector, and I have an equal voice to the Macular Degeneration Foundation as part of the NACA process, it just becomes a bit sensitive and a bit political.”

Adj Prof Kelly said he had advised the new ministers responsible for aged care to consider NACA as an important source of information and consultation, but not the only one.

He said that ACSA would continue to work closely with the major provider groups and pointed to a recent joint submission on the Workforce Supplement by ACSA, Catholic Health Australia, Leading Age Services Australia and the Aged Care Guild as an important way of achieving consistency on issues.

Adj Prof Kelly expressed concern about the slow pace of the Coalition settling into government and said he did not expect any real momentum on aged care policy before February next year.

He said ensuring a strong interface between the Department of Health and the Department of Social Services would be an ongoing priority. He also said there was a risk that positive ageing may be harder to sell in the new departmental arrangements, where aged care could be looked at “under a broader welfare model.”