The information-sharing process between the office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care and the sector’s regulatory body has been formalised through a memorandum of understanding.
The document was signed by Acting Inspector-General Ian Yates and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson at the regulatory body’s national conference in Adelaide last week.
As the inspector-general has oversight of the administration, regulation, and funding of the aged care system, the office requires full access of the performance data the commission collates.
The signing of the MoU will, reads a statement released on Thursday, “help to support greater accountability and transparency across the Commonwealth’s administration of the aged care system.”
While legislation already grants the inspector-general strong compulsory information-gathering powers, the office has also sought to establish agreements to enable the volunteer sharing of key data.
As one of the principal government agencies over which the inspector-general has oversight, the commission has agreed “to provide detailed, comprehensive information on its activities to the office on a regular basis.”
Mr Yates acknowledges the signing of the MoU as “a demonstration of the commission’s own commitment to transparency and accountability.”
The agreement between the two agencies can be read here.
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