Total care time exceeds targets once again
Advertised room prices have also risen, but only by 88 homes, which Mr Fisher tells AAA is an indication that many are waiting to see the impact before making further changes.
The aged care sector has exceeded care minute targets for the third time, according to Mirus Australia’s monthly data benchmarking report of close to one third of the sector.
Total care time decreased by 0.13 per cent from August to September, but registered nurse time increased by 0.87 per cent, and the sector is now delivering 8.75 minutes more than the 215-minute target on average.
This is one minute less than the excess time of nine minutes noted in the August snapshot but higher than the 220.47 minutes seen in July.
Data scientist Tyler Fisher told Australian Ageing Agenda the continued excess in care minutes recorded is consistent with the trend of providers rapidly adjusting to the new requirements – especially larger operators who have been investing in workforce planning and systems.
He added that the results indicate the sector is “clearly prioritising compliance.”
Advertised room price continues to rise
The industry average room price also increased, but only 88 homes increased the highest price of their rooms in September, a much lower amount than the 276 who raised their prices in August.
There was also a decrease in the number of services increasing their lowest price, with just 74 in September compared to the 239 in August.
Mr Fisher said the lower number of homes increasing their room pricing in September is likely a reflection of a combination of market sensitivity to affordability concerns and providers having already made significant adjustments in previous months.
“Many are now waiting to see the impact before making further changes,” he added.
The current industry average price currently sits at $580,215, a $1,053 increase from what was seen in August and a $21,892 increase from what was seen in April when Mirus Australia first started including the data point in its benchmarking reports.
The days from request to reassessment have continued to decline across Modified Monash Model classifications MM1 to MM4-5, which Mr Fisher said he believes is due to process improvements and increased resourcing within assessment teams.
“There’s also greater familiarity with the protocols, leading to more efficient case handling,” he explained to AAA.
Permanent admissions increase by 42 per cent
Meanwhile, occupancy rates had the largest single month increase since February, rising by 0.29 per cent, which Mirus Australia said was fuelled by a 41.78 per cent increase in permanent admissions.
Mr Fisher attributed this rise to people being on the fence about entering residential care but who “will move up their decision to avoid refundable accommodation deposit retention starting 1 November,” and policy clarity encouraging submissions.
He said it is a positive sign for occupancy and provider confidence.
“The admissions uplift was notable, as was the continued improvement in compliance metrics. It’s also worth highlighting the stabilisation of pricing activity – suggesting the sector is settling into the new regulatory environment,” Mr Fisher added.
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