Month: August 2022

News about the reforms:

• Aged care legislation commencement and Senate committee inquiry
• Supporting a real pay rise for aged care workers
• Updates to Serious Incident Response Scheme resources
• Webinar: Quarterly Financial Report updates and Q&A

Other news:

• Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing webinar: Collecting Diversity Data to Promote Inclusive Services in Aged Care
• Australian Human Rights Commission’s age awareness training: Register your interest
• Webinar: Stroke – what you need to know

National Suicide Prevention for Seniors Program

For residential care providers:

• Business Improvement Fund Round 2: Outcome of grant applications

For home care providers:

• Home Care Packages monthly statements resources
• New guidance examines key home services delivery risks

Read more:

Your Aged Care Update newsletter – Issue #2022/15 (.pdf)

The Australian Government is returning to the timeframe put forward by the Royal Commission to deliver a reformed and improved in-home aged care program by 1 July 2024.

The Department of Health and Aged Care will host a webinar on 31 August 2022 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm AEST for older Australians, their families and carers, and the aged care sector.

The webinar will discuss the outcomes of previous consultations, and how these have informed the program’s future direction and will inform the development of the new Aged Care Act.

Read more:

Webinar: Reforming in-home aged care and regulation – update

Register for the webinar

Today, the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022 was passed, enabling major improvements to aged care in line with the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

The Albanese Labor Government made a promise to restore dignity to our most vulnerable citizens and this bill is a critical first step in improving aged care service.

This legislation will replace the outdated Aged Care Funding Instrument with a new aged care subsidy funding model – the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) model, for full implementation from 1 October 2022.

AN-ACC will offer a more equitable approach, with funding that better matches the provider’s costs of meeting the care needs of residents.

The legislation will also enable the Department of Health and Aged Care to publish star ratings for all residential aged care services by the end of 2022.

The Star Ratings system will put a spotlight on the sector, allowing older Australians and their families to compare quality and safety performance of different services and providers.

Read more:

First bill passed delivers aged care reforms

Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022

Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022

As the industry is no doubt aware, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Commission) has ramped up its regulatory activity in both residential and home care over the last few months. With unprecedented staffing shortages, many providers, including those with previously flawless compliance histories, are being found to be non-compliant with one or more of the Aged Care Quality Standards.

A finding of “Not Met” with any of the Quality Standards can trigger further regulatory powers and lead to sanctions, or in extreme cases, the revocation of accreditation or even approved provider status. As Notices of Non-Compliance are published, it can affect a providers’ reputation. It is important for providers to take any finding of non-compliance very seriously and do what they can to overturn the finding.

Read more:

6 tips for responding to Aged Care Audit Reports