Aged care quality and safety commissioner appointed
The Commonwealth Government has announced health sector leader Janet Anderson as the first commissioner of the aged care sector’s new quality regulator.
The Commonwealth Government has announced health sector leader Janet Anderson as the first commissioner of the aged care sector’s new quality regulator.
Ms Anderson, a former first assistant secretary in the commonwealth Department of Health, will oversee the establishment of and lead the new independent Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which will be responsible for aged care regulation, compliance and complaints from January 2019.
Aged care minister Ken Wyatt and health minister announced Ms Anderson’s appointment today, six months after the government announced it was establishing the new commission in the lead up to the 2018 Federal Budget.
The new commission will bring the functions of the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency, Aged Care Complaints Commissioner and aged care regulatory functions of the Department of Health together under one agency.
It will have a budget of almost $300 million over four years, employ additional senior compliance officers and take a risk-based approach to compliance.
The appointment follows the recent announcement that West Australian Supreme Court Justice Joseph McGrath and former public service commissioner Lynelle Briggs who will jointly head up an 18-month Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
The new commission aims to increase transparency and sharing of information, provide a single point of contact for aged care recipients and their families and drive better coordination among all involved in aged care.
Its first task will be to immediately streamline the roles of the current complaints commissioner and quality agency ahead of integrating the health department’s compliance responsibilities from January 2020.
The new commission comes in response to recommendations of the Carnell-Paterson review on aged care quality regulation, which was triggered by serious failures at the Oakden facility in South Australia.
Almost $50 million of the commission’s budget will go towards expanding monitoring and compliance teams, unannounced inspections, better identification of sub-standard care and to develop options for a Serious Incident Response Scheme.
Under the new commission unannounced re-accreditation audits are set to increase jump from 263 this year to almost 900 in 2019 while unannounced inspections targeting particular standards, identified risk factors and complaints are expected to rise to more than 3,000, the government announced.
Aged care medical expert associate professor Michael Murray has been announced as the new interim Chief Clinical Advisor. He will assist Ms Anderson to establish the commission.
Ms Anderson has an extensive background in the health sector and management experience. She has also held leadership roles in sate and territory health departments.
In Ms Anderson’s new role, she will oversee the approval, accreditation, assessment, complaints resolution, monitoring and compliance of Commonwealth-funded aged care providers and report directly to Minister Wyatt.
COTA Australia CEO Ian Yates said the new appointment would address urgent issues in the aged care system.
“The imminent launch of the commission and the appointment of Janet Anderson today is another step toward a new era for aged care in Australia, an era in which older Australians and families can get the aged care they want and deserve and be confident it will be a high-quality service,” Mr Yates said.
He said the royal commission would do the “longer-term job” on quality regulations.
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Congratulations Janet Anderson and Michael Murray – a great team!
Once again we’ve given the job of overseeing the quality of care to a career public servant with no direct care experience.
Why do we tolerate these farcical appointments: didn’t anyone find it just a little bit strange that Kate Carnell headed the recent aged care quality/regulatory review even though she was a director of the quality agency for much of the time Oakden was placing residents at risk?
Ms Anderson quit her last job as CEO of ACT Health after only 3 days; I’d be cautious about celebrating this appointment too quickly.
Democracies get the government they deserve
Congratulations Janet a wonderful choice. I know you will do excellently.
Just watched Janet Anderson interviewed on Sunrise, she evaded answering the question put to her on staff to resident ratio, talked around the question just like a politician. I sincerely hope they give Mandatory carer levels serious discussion.
Whatever we all think of both state and federal investigations I only hope for 2 of my family members that good comes out of this.
The abuse is horrific and staff recruitment has to be so much more stringent with training more thorough.
There has to be a staff ratio, registration for all staff and a federal and not just state register for abusive persons, nothing less.
My comment to all is “you too will be old 1 day”
Anderson should resign over her failures on Newmarch. Hopeless! Appalling! Despicable!