The Royal Commission held a public hearing in Canberra from Monday 9 December 2019 to Friday 13 December 2019.
The Royal Commission looked into the interface between aged care system and health care system, including:
• the challenges faced by people living in residential aged care services attempting to access health services funded under Medicare or by the states and territories
• whether there is a need to improve access to primary health care services (particularly general practitioners, nurse practitioners and primary care nurses) for older people in residential aged care, and if so, how this could be achieved
• whether there is a need to improve access to high quality secondary and tertiary (sub-acute and acute) health care services for older people in residential aged care, and if so, how this could be achieved
• the challenges faced by people living in aged care in accessing medical specialists, and the harms arising from inadequate access
• whether it is necessary or desirable to improve how older people are transferred to and from aged care and hospitals, including the appropriateness of rehabilitation and transition care services post hospital attendance
• whether there is a need for improved data collection, communication and planning in relation to the health needs of older people accessing aged care services, including the interoperability of care management systems
• the sufficiency of access to state and territory funded palliative care services for people living in residential aged care
Read more:
Transcript – Monday 9 December 2019 (.pdf)
Transcript – Tuesday 10 December 2019 (.pdf)
Transcript – Wednesday 11 December 2019 (.pdf)