Resi complaints up significantly

Complaints about home care services have risen minimally, while complaints about residential services have increased, the regulator’s annual report shows.

Complaints about aged care  – Year in review (July 2023-June 2024) published by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, provides and overview of the complaints received by the regulatory body about aged care services.

“We can receive complaints about aged care services from anyone at any time. People often come to us because their provider’s complaints process has not addressed their concerns or because they don’t feel confident to speak with their provider,” writes commission chief Janet Anderson in the report’s foreword.

“Providers are encouraged to use the data, case studies and guided questions in this report to learn about good complaint handling processes that they can apply to their service.”

Reviewing complaints received from 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 in this year’s report, results show that 5,427 complaints were received about residential aged care services  –  up from 5,077 the previous year.

New South Wales received the most residential complaints during the period (1,724), followed by and Victoria (1,288) and Queensland (1,135).

The number one issue raised about residential care was about how medication was administered and managed with concerns about the personal and oral hygiene of the person receiving care and the number of staff coming in second and third respectively.

The top 10 complaint issues for residential care were:

The most complaints about residential care were lodged by representatives or family members (52 per cent), while care recipients made the least (7.3 per cent).

Many anonymous complaints about residential care came from staff or allied health workers.

Home care complaints

Concentrating on home care services, the report shows that complaints during the period rose minimally. In all, 4,031 complaints were received about home services – up on the previous year by only 0.4 per cent (4,015).

Home services comprise Home Care Packages, Commonwealth Home Support Program services, services delivered in a home setting, and flexible care.

New South Wales also received the most home care complaints (1,106), followed by Queensland (981) and then Victoria (927).

Echoing the findings of this week’s report from the Older Persons Advocacy Network, communication and consultation featured prominently in complaints from home care recipients and their representatives and family members, followed by fees, charges and financial management.

The top 10 complaint issues for home services were:

The commission received a total of 9,458 complaints for aged care between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, according to the 32-page report. In the same period it resolved 9,685 complaints – 5,520 related to residential aged care and 4,165 to home care.

“We want to empower people receiving care to speak up, offer feedback and raise concerns if something doesn’t seem right. We also want to help providers to understand their obligations to enable and effectively manage feedback and complaints,” writes Ms Anderson.

“Resolving complaints is one of the commission’s core responsibilities and functions.”

Complaints Commissioner Louise Macleod – who was appointed to her role in May 2023 – added the journey towards improving was not a race.

“There is no finish line,” she wrote in the report.

“Providers need to have an ongoing process of listening, working together with people receiving care, and improving services as part of everything that they do. By focusing on good communication and developing relationships, we can make significant improvements and deliver better outcomes for older people.”

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