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Inquiry calls for changes
Rating system and ACFI
review among inquiry’s aged
care recommendations.
By Dallas Bastian
A
rating system for facilities and
a requirement for there to be
one registered nurse onsite at
all times have been listed among the
recommendations of an inquiry into the
aged care system.
Released recently by the Health, Aged
Care and Sport Committee, it examined
the delivery and regulation of the
aged care system and the prevalence
of mistreatment.
The inquiry was nearing its end as
the government announced a royal
commission into aged care.
In his foreword to the report, committee
chair and MP Trent Zimmerman said gaps
in the current residential aged care system
revealed by the submissions received
included the complexity of the current
system, a reluctance or inability to raise
concerns or make complaints regarding
the quality of care, and an overall lack of
consumer focus.
Zimmerman said the committee welcomed
the royal commission announcement but
added it should not delay the implementation
of improvements recommended in the report
and other recent reviews.
The report made 14 recommendations:
• The development of national guidelines
for the Community Visitors Scheme,
including policies related to observed or
suspected abuse or neglect
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agedcareinsite.com.au
• A
review of the Aged Care Funding
Instrument (ACFI) to ensure it is providing
for adequate levels of care, is indexed
annually and includes for penalty
breaches
• A Medicare Benefits Schedule review of
medical practitioner visits to residential
aged care facilities
• That one registered nurse is always
onsite in residential aged care facilities,
and that there is monitoring and
reporting on the correlation between
standards of care and staffing mixes
• That the Department of Health make
available consumer information,
including the Charter of Rights, for aged
care residents and their families in a
wider range of languages
• An independent review and parliamentary
inquiry into the Aged Care Quality and
Safety Commission after two years of
operation
• Ensuring that unannounced visits by
regulators to residential aged care
facilities are not confined to business
hours
• The removal of the reportable assault
‘resident-on-resident’ exemption
in which assaults committed by a
resident with a cognitive impairment
are not required to be reported to the
Department of Health
• The National Aged Care Quality Indicator
Program be expanded to include a
broader range of key indicators and
be mandatory for government-funded
providers
• Amending the Aged Care Act 1997 to
limit and place conditions on the use of
restrictive practices in residential aged
care facilities
• That the Department of Health work
with the aged care sector to implement
a rating system (like a star or point
rating system) for residential aged care
facilities
• Making information regarding the
number of complaints and complainants
at individual aged care facilities available
on the My Aged Care website
• That the government examine ways to
ensure all consumers have access to
the Older Persons Advocacy Network
(OPAN) advisory services
• That government agencies responsible
for the delivery of aged care services
commit to a more consumer-oriented
focus.
Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) chief
executive Sean Rooney said the report
delivers many recommendations aimed at
driving increased resourcing and improving
quality in the industry.
Zimmerman, as committee chair, will
also hold a roundtable public hearing in
Canberra on Friday as part of its Inquiry
into the Aged Care Amendment (Staffing
Ratio Disclosure) Bill 2018.
The committee will hear from aged
care providers, government agencies,
peak bodies, and professional nursing and
medical associations.
“The inquiry is expected to provide the
committee with a range of perspectives on
the bill, including whether or not it should
be passed, and also highlight broader
issues regarding levels of staffing for aged
care services,” Zimmerman said. ■