Have your say on aged care reforms
The Department of Health and Aged Care is seeking input on several of areas of aged care reform including preparedness, regulation, pricing and payments.
The Department of Health and Aged Care is seeking input on several of areas of aged care reform including preparedness, regulation, pricing and payments.
Most of the open consultations respond to recommendations of the aged care royal commission and seek feedback from a range of the sector’s stakeholders.
Among them, the department has launched the first in an ongoing five-minute online survey targeting aged care workers, providers, experts and peak bodies to help shape aged care reform implementation.
The survey aims to better understand stakeholder:
- knowledge of and preparedness for impending reform activities
- communication experiences and preferences
- confidence in the reforms.
The department plans to conduct similar surveys every six to eight weeks to see how these things are changing. This initial survey closes on 5 October 2022.
Aged care regulation
The second stage of the consultation seeking input on designing a new approach to regulating aged care is also underway.
Aged care providers, consumers and experts are invited to provide feedback on government’s proposed model for regulating aged care outlined in the consultation paper A new model for regulating Aged Care.
The 54-page document is the first in a series of consultation papers that will develop the different components of the model in more detail. It features a high-level, end-to-end outline of the new model.
The proposed regulatory model aims to ensure older Australians, their families and carers are:
- well-informed about their rights and protections
- have more choice and control over the care they receive and be included in decisions about their care
- have confidence in the quality and safety of care and services
- empowered to raise issues and share their experiences and be confident these will be heard and addressed
- are protected by a system that prioritises their safety, rights, dignity and changing needs.
The four proposed foundations of the approach of the new model are rights-based, risk-based, person-centred, and continuous improvement. And the proposed regulatory safeguards and tools are:
- registration: provider registration and worker screening
- provider responsibilities: reporting, incident management, standards and a code of conduct
- market oversight: monitoring, compliance, enforcement and complaints
- engagement and capacity building: information sharing, information for consumers, and education and engagement.
In addition to the full paper, the consultation pack includes a 43-page plain English version of the paper and an eight-page summary document.
Aged care stakeholders can provide feedback on the proposed model and register their interest to attend Stage 3 workshops until 10 October 2022.
Home care payment platform
The department is seeking feedback from aged care providers, employees and financial officers in the home aged care sector to inform the design of payment arrangements under the reforms to in-home care.
The consultation involves a one-hour survey on a new payments platform, which aims to enable the payment and reporting of government subsidies and client contributions, with an option for client bookings.
The survey aims to help the department understand how organisations currently manage in-home aged care client bookings, staff rostering, invoicing, payments and reporting, and how these systems could be complemented.
The payment platforms survey, which has been developed in partnership with ThinkPlace, closes on 14 October 2022.
Residential aged care pricing
The new Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority will provide independent advice to the government to inform costing and pricing of residential aged care from 1 July 2023.
IHACPA is seeking input on the development of the new pricing framework, which will guide this advice. It has released the Towards an Aged Care Pricing Framework consultation paper as the primary mechanism for all stakeholders to provide input.
The 55-page paper provides aged care providers, consumers, experts and peak bodies an opportunity for consultation on:
- the pricing principles, which will underpin the framework
- the key challenges for aged care costing and pricing, and how to best address them in the development of the framework
- the mechanisms that support activity-based funding in aged care.
The pricing framework will be the key policy document for IHACPA in aged care. In addition to guiding how IHACPA develops pricing advice, it will outline how any required pricing adjustments are developed to account for unavoidable cost variations faced by providers in delivering services for some groups of people receiving care.
Submissions for this consultation close on Friday 14 October 2022.
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I looked at the surveys and they actually looked at nothing of importance. They were a tick the box thing that in reality just showed yes you have spent hours reading the paperwork, so all is good. The same is done in most government departments now days. Education is an example. What they should have looked at is why are aged workers leaving the industry. I will tell you why. No lunch breaks/ top heavy management who do not work on the floor but instead send extra work by email to do in your own time after a 5 or 6 day shift/ 23 with covid on a ward and they think an EN and student nurse can cope with it even if they also have two residents dying as well.
No positive feedback from management.
And I don’t want to sound racist, but the majority of staff now have English as a second language. Not only hard for the residents to understand but also the other staff.
The lack of English means those who do have the added Burdene of resident’s family relying on them for feedback on how their parents’ grandparents are
Lastly there seems to be a big discrepancy in staff loading. As mentioned, a nurse plus a student doing a day shift then 3 nurses doing the same shift in the afternoon.
This is not limited to one aged care facility it is common accross the industry.
These are what they should be looking at cheers
Accurate description of residential aged care, Chris. While the reforms are promoted as being way forward, they’re just another example of the entire sector being hijacked by experts who have never spent a day on the floor. Have a good look at the majority of residents…just how capable of self-determination and informed choice are they? Until aged care is integrated into the health system, we’ll continue to see the same aspirational (and expensive) window dressing .
The key issues of public money lining the pockets of private providers and the ACQSC’s acceptance of having unskilled staffing caring for the frail and vulnerable just wont be addressed…dont bother with a reform…throw the whole system out and start again!