Month: December 2018

The department is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from organisations for proposals seeking to trial or use innovative approaches for the delivery of Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) services. The EOI process will close 2pm (Canberra time), Friday 1 February 2019.

Read more:

CHSP Innovation Funding – Expression of Interest now open

Grants Connect

The retirement living industry has today officially launched a new industry code of conduct and is urging all retirement village operators to sign up over the next 12 months to demonstrate their commitment to high standards and resident satisfaction.

The Retirement Living Code of Conduct is the initiative of two peak industry bodies representing retirement living operators across Australia – the Retirement Living Council (which is part of the Property Council of Australia) and Leading Age Services Australia (LASA).

The new code, which is scheduled to be rolled out from 1 January 2019 and take full effect from 1 January 2020, has been finalised after an extensive 12-month development process including consultation with retirement village operators, residents and other interested stakeholders earlier this year.

Read more:

Retirement Living Code of Conduct Launched (.pdf)

Retirement Living Code of Conduct (.pdf)

In this issue:

• Operational hours over the holiday period
• Consultation – streamlined consumer assessment for aged care
• Check for valid ACAT approval
• 2017–18 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997 now available

Home Care:

• Home care and the Australian Consumer Law

Residential Care:

• Specialist Dementia Care Program roll out

Read more:

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue 2018/23 (.pdf)

In Case You Missed It – Below are links to recent articles on Aged Care and Healthcare that may be of interest:

Peaks welcome boost to residential aged care funding

Art therapy a stroke of creativity

MYEFO measures ‘unlikely to help’ embattled providers

New retirement code of conduct to promote resident safety, dignity and happiness

RLC and LASA officially launch voluntary Code of Conduct – to start 1 January 2020

The Maximum Permissible Interest Rate (MPIR) applicable to accommodation prices and to refund periods for refundable deposit balances and accommodation bond balances will decrease from 5.96% to 5.94% for the period of 1 January to 31 March 2019.

The Base Interest Rate remains unchanged at 3.75%.

Read more:

Refundable Deposit Balance and Accommodation Bond Balance Refund Interest Rates

Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care From 1 January 2019 (.pdf)

Schedule of Fees and Charges for Pre 1 July 2014 Residents from 1 January 2019 (.pdf)

LASA partnered with PwC Australia to deliver a webinar to effectively manage the Royal Commission process. What to expect, how to prepare for the year ahead, and how to manage it successfully.

Watch it here:

LASA Royal Commission Webinar

Please ensure that you nominate an additional My Aged Care Organisation Administrator to help manage your outlets. This is essential at this time of year when your usual Administrator may be on leave.

Instructions on how to set up an Administrator are in the My Aged Care Provider Portal User Guide Part One, on the department’s website.

Read more:

How to nominate additional My Aged Care Organisation Administrators

My Aged Care Provider Portal User Guide: Part One – Administrator Functions

The Liberal and Nationals Government will deliver more support for older Australians, with a half a billion dollar ($552.9 million) increase to aged care funding including the release of 10,000 high-level home care packages within weeks.

We understand that older Australians prefer to receive support and services in their own home and live independently for as long as possible.

The 10,000 new high-level home care packages deliver important services at home, such as complex clinical care from a range of providers, nursing and mobility care, nutrition, hydration and meal preparation and transport support.

The packages and will be available in early 2019 and will be spilt across 5,000 level three and 5,000 level four care packages, providing up to $50,000 per person in services each year.

The $287 million home care expansion is on top of the extra 20,000 packages funded in the past year, which combined will result in a record 40 per cent increase in the number of people receiving home care packages.

Read more:

Boosting support for older Australians (.pdf)

Today, the Government announced a $287 million investment to release an additional 10,000 high level (level 3 and 4) home care packages in 2018-19.

This will result in an additional 5,000 level 3 and 5,000 level 4 packages in 2018-19 to support more senior Australians to receive their approved level of care sooner and remain living at home for longer.

Read more:

2018-19 MYEFO – More Home Care Packages

Everyone at Management Advantage would like to say thank you to one of our Client Managers, Roshni, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Roshni has been with us for almost 18 years and would have worked at various times with many of you. We wish her all the best for the future and thank her for all the great work she did in supporting our clients over the years and what she has contributed to our team. Goodbye Rosh!