industry & policy
CHANGES TO MY AGED CARE Tune recommended the government make improvements to the functionality and performance of the My Aged Care ICT platform and invest in regular advertising and awareness activities for the website to explain the process for accessing government-funded aged care services .
He also suggested changes to the design and layout , and a trial of a simplified assessment process for consumers seeking a short‐term single , simple service .
ACSA welcomed the government ’ s additional funding for My Aged Care and said it will continue to cooperate with the government to address implementation problems .
Rooney said LASA has petitioned the government to further develop this service and looks forward to details of the enhancements planned .
Yates was pleased to see recommendations to provide consumer support services such as system navigators and outreach services to help consumers and their families to connect to , access and find their way through the aged care system .
MORE CONSUMER CHOICE Yates said older people will strongly support the recommendations that residential aged care packages be put into the hands of residents and their families so they are free to use the provider of their choice and to move between them of their own accord .
“ This consumer-led shift has already occurred in home care packages ,” Yates said .
“ It needs to be introduced in residential aged care without further delay .”
WORKFORCE BUILDING The review recommended that the aged care sector , in collaboration with the tertiary education sector , act to ensure education and training directly respond to the sector ’ s needs .
This included promoting and encouraging ageing and aged care as a specialisation in nursing education , exploring a range of workforce options such as potential partnerships or arrangements with existing non-aged-care training providers , and making effective use of allied health workers .
Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt said a detailed aged care workforce strategy will be produced by a taskforce chaired by Professor John Pollaers . It will be supported by a $ 2 million 2017 – 18 Budget commitment .
LASA acknowledged this appointment as an important step towards building and retaining a sustainable aged care workforce .
Australian College of Nursing chief executive Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward said the college was pleased by the Tune report ’ s focus on workforce but added there will be shortages in the future if workforce issues are not addressed quickly .
“ Recruitment , training and retention of a quality aged care workforce is one of the biggest challenges facing the sector now and in the future . Therefore , we welcome the establishment of a taskforce to develop a national approach to workforce planning .”
ACN called on a workforce strategy to include a mandate that at least one registered nurse is on-site at all times in residential aged care facilities .
FUNDING AGED CARE The Aged Care Guild , representing the nine largest residential aged care for-profit providers in the industry , said the government ’ s response to the review tabled needs to focus on a sustainable funding strategy for the long-term aged care needs of Australians .
Guild chief executive Cameron O ’ Reilly said just as the government has legislation before the parliament aimed at securing a long-term funding deal for the National Disability Insurance Scheme through a higher Medicare levy , it has to embrace Tune ’ s recommendations on funding the massive growth in aged care needs in a rapidly ageing society .
“ How we sustainably fund the growth of care services and care workers with a mix of public and private funding is one of the key questions facing the country , and Mr Tune ’ s sensible recommendations have put this issue firmly on the national agenda ,” O ’ Reilly said .
COTA ’ s Yates said : “ If politicians on all sides are going to rule out greater user contributions such as some of those recommended by Tune , they must tell Australians how they will fund aged care into the future ; either government pays more or services will decline in quality and numbers .”
Overall , LASA said the review is an important reflection on the status of the aged care reform process in Australia and provides useful recommendations to build on .
Yates said the government must now use the recommendations put forward in Tune ’ s report , supported by the sector through the National Aged Care Alliance , to deliver meaningful change that enhances the lives of older Australians . ■
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