Budget: Funding for providers to implement new quality standards

Aged care providers will receive financial support over the next two years to implement new quality standards but will start paying a new levy for unannounced quality visits from July 2020.

Aged care providers will receive financial support over the next two years to implement new quality standards but will start paying a new levy for unannounced quality visits from July 2020, according to this week’s Federal Budget.

The budget provides $50 million over two years from 2018-19 for a “Quality Care Fund” to assist providers with implementing the new consumer-focused quality standards, which have been developed as part of the Single Quality Framework expected to be in place from July.

The fund is among several aged care quality related measures outlined in the budget, most of which were announced last month in response to the Carnell-Paterson Review into aged care regulation.

The measures include the establishment of the budget neutral Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and $32.6 million over four years for an enhanced risk-based approach to monitoring and responding to aged care quality issues.

The new risk profiling will determine the frequency and rigour of quality audits, including unannounced visits, which providers will pay a levy for from 1 July 2020, the government said.

The budget also provides $8.8 million over four years as part of a “staged process” to improve quality transparency measures.

They include the continuing development of a single Charter of Rights for consumers and an open disclosure framework to support providers to discuss incidents with residents and their families budgeted from July this year.

The publishing of residential provider performance ratings on My Aged Care together with a comparison tool for consumers will be available from July 2020, according to the announcement.

“Simplified, plain English accreditation reports will be published with the existing Consumer Experience Reports, and providers who obstruct the resolution of complaints can be publicly identified,” the budget said.

Related budget coverage

Residential places to go to consumers, new bond levy for providers

Additional home care packages, reablement trial for home support

Government to pilot service to help older people navigate aged care

New measures welcome but long-term fix needed, say stakeholders

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Tags: aged-care-quality-and-safety-commission, budget 2018, carnell-paterson-review, performance-ratings, policy, quality, slider,

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