Sector can’t wait any longer on red tape: CEO
VIDEO: As the Federal Government legislates another of its lauded ‘red tape repeal days’, an industry leader tells the NEWSROOM there are prime opportunities for the Coalition to remove unnecessary regulation in aged care and yet they “blow it every time and simply add more and more.”
As the Federal Government legislates another of its lauded ‘red tape repeal days’ today, an industry leader tells the NEWSROOM there are prime opportunities for the Coalition to remove unnecessary regulation in aged care and yet they “blow it every time and simply add more and more.”
The CEO of Sundale, Glenn Bunney said that while the Federal Government was slated to proceed with another of its ‘red tape reduction days’ on Wednesday, the reality was there would be one piece of legislation that has been talked about for over a year, and nothing else.
“From our point of view, we’d like to see the red tape get cut out of the red tape reduction program,” he said.
Mr Bunney was speaking to the NEWSROOM at the LASA National Congress in Adelaide this week. Given the considerable challenges facing the aged care sector, and since no government representative was able to attend the event, we asked industry leaders for their message to government.
Mr Bunney said there were several simple things the government could do. One was around key personnel: “Every time someone arrives in a position, leaves a position, or transfers within a company – you’ve got to fill out an 11 page document and post it – I say post it, not electronically lodge – with the department. God knows where it ends up.”
Elsewhere, Ross Johnston, CEO of Regis Aged Care, said that the challenge of providing the 80,000 beds required in the next 10 years would require capital and resourcing. “From a capital perspective the industry can help with that, but from a resourcing perspective, across the health industry in Australia, that’s a government challenge,” Mr Johnston said.
Lee-Ann Irwin, CEO of The Whiddon Group, told the NEWSROOM that as an operator in rural and remote NSW, rural and remote communities needed further assistance, especially in the area of allied health services.
Natasha Chadwick, managing director of Synovum Care Group, said she was concerned that the dementia supplement which the government suspended in August will end up back to support services rather than coming back into the sector and following the person living with dementia.
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The issue of red-tape will not go away of its own accord. Only the government of the day can do anything about it. There are more than 20 individual opportunities to reduce unnecessary processes that will not impact on residents care or security but save both th Government and providers enormous amounts of time and therefore money, by eliminating so many unnecessary or duplicated processes. Glenn Bunney’s example of paperwork for changes to key personnel is just one of many such nonsense paperwork burdens. When will sanity prevail in any government able to adequately and convincingly explain these things to the community. There should be no fear that residents will be neglected or end up on the street if some of these needless processes are not abandoned soon.
I cant agree more with the comments from the LASA Leaders, all I could add is to please remove the bureaucracy and focus on workplace standards , training and education for all in care.
High performing teams with competency and confidence makes for better outcomes in care. Listen to the Leaders, and improve the situation on pay and standards for all who are asked to do their best in this needed industry.
The requirement Glen Bunney refers to seems to be on the government’s radar.
The PM’s parliamentary secretary Josh Frydenberg mentioned it as one of his examples of red tape to a public sector forum about regulation the week before last.
He said that to the LIberals, it “…seems a superfluous and additional requirement that is unnecessary. If something’s going to absolutely affect your ability to carry out your business as an aged care provider, sure, you should notify the federal authorities, but not just with simple changes in key personnel.”