Extension for the sector?
The Department of Health and Ageing could extend the March 22 deadline for feedback on its Aged Care Complaints Scheme discusssion paper.
By Yasmin Noone
The Department of Health and Ageing could extend the deadline of its Aged Care Complaints Scheme discussion paper beyond March 22 to help out interested stakeholders who also want to provide the Productivity Commission with feedback on its draft report.
Assistant secretary of the Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance, Lucelle Veneros, said that the Department could give the sector an extra few days to provide input on its complaints scheme discussion paper, at the 20th Tri State Conference, Albury.
The extension was proposed in response to an audience question, fielded by Ms Veneros after her conference presentation on Complaints Investigation Scheme (CIS) reform.
The audience member explained that interested stakeholders were feeling the pressure of meeting both the Department’s deadline for comment on its Aged Care Complaints Scheme: Proposed Management Framework discussion paper and the PC’s March 21 deadline for sector feedback on its draft aged report.
“We can extend the time frame by a few more days, not a week,” Ms Veneros responded.*
The Department released its CIS discussion paper in late-February this year in a bid to seek input from consumers, the aged care sector, and other key stakeholders about the proposed changes to the complaints management framework, and the potential regulatory impact of the changes.
The paper outlines a proposed complaints management framework which aims to take forward key recommendations from the Review of the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme by Associate Professor Merrilyn Walton, including risk assessment and alternative complaint resolution options.
Ms Veneros updated the audience about what the Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance has been doing since it began to examine CIS reform options in July 2010.
She said that they are working to develop a “more responsive, customer-focused complaints system”. This has involved looking internally to address complaints about the length of time it takes the office to resolve disputes.
“Since September 2010, we have focused on long waiting times (anything over six months). Last week there were only 15 cases which is a significant improvement from where we were last year.”
The office is also training new staff to investigate complaints while also upskilling current staff to deal with more complicated resolution issues.
Externally, Ms Veneros said, the office is working to “push complaints back to the provider at a local level”.
“We expect issues to be raised with approved providers before [the matter comes to us] and if there is no action, then we’ll step in.”
“The best practice approach will be local resolution first.
“Many complaints are communication issues …so what we are trying to do is to build a provider’s capacity to manage them.”
The department will also expand resolution options to include assisted resolution, conciliation, mediation and investigation.
It aims to develop training resources to educate providers on what is good complaints management. Ms Veneros expects that these resources will be available in the next six months.
She said the department wants to “drop the word investigation from the title” as investigations are only one outcome of the new complaints scheme.
First assistant secretary of the Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance, Iain Scott, also spoke about the discussion paper at the conference.
Mr Scott acknowledged that at the moment, “there are a lot of legitimate concerns about the scheme’s decisions and processes…. and doubts about the program”.
“The PC has made a lot of far reaching recommendations about complaints handling.
“We cant pre-empt what… the government will be thinking about what the best structure will be to go forward. But, we can make sure that we will be flexible and accommodate the government.”
“We need to get on with the task of making complaints handling work better and then we’ll see what the PC will do.
Mr Scott welcomed stakeholder input about the proposed framework in the interests of “fearless, open and frank” dialogue between the sector, consumers and the government.
“We will be open about the things we can achieve and those things we can’t.
“It’s important for the sector to see what’s on the table and …obviously we want your feedback. It will be very important to us in going forward.
“My commitment to you is that we’ll look at your feedback with an open mind and look at it with a view of going forward, working with you in an open and transparent way.”
For more information about the discussion paper, click here.
Questions about the discussion paper should be emailed to agedcomplaintscomms@health.gov.au
*The extension was made in an open, pubic forum. AAA is still awaiting a response from the Department to confirm the extension.
What’s the rush Lucelle? Isn’t it more important to get it right than have it by a Wednesday rather than a Friday (a few days rather than a week)? There’s a good chance that if you don’t get the feedback at this stage you’ll get it in the Parliament.