Aged care commission announced

Posted in News

Following a number of high profile incidents at aged care facilities across the country, Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt has announced a plan to establish a new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. He visited Resthaven, an organisation within the UnitingCare SA network, on Wednesday 18 April to announce a number of responses to last year’s Carnell-Paterson report on Quality Regulation in Aged Care.

Three separate agencies which currently handle quality control and complaints in the aged care sector will merge to form the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. The commission has been touted as a “one stop shop” to highlight quality concerns related to aged care and to see issues rectified.

UnitingCare Australia has congratulated the Turnbull Government and Ken Wyatt for creating the commission.

“UnitingCare Australia believes the creation of an Australian Aged Care Commission with responsibilities, including quality improvement and complaints management, has the potential to be a positive and effective way to improve quality and consumer protection arrangements for aged care residents,” says UnitingCare National Director Claerwen Little.

“We have been increasingly concerned about the anxiety that negative coverage creates for residents and families, as well as the stress that it creates for our staff. This is the first step in re-establishing confidence in a system which, by and large, works well.

“We look forward to working with the Government to ensure that these measures effectively
complement the expertise within the sector. Creating a single agency can promote efficiency in the regulatory system. It is critical however that it all areas are properly resourced, with assurance that field staff have the skills and experience for the job.”

The Australian Government has also accepted recommendations to increase transparency around quality for consumers, and to appoint a Chief Clinical Advisor to review certain clinical decisions in residential care.

“Every older person who needs care and support, whether at home or in a residential facility, should have confidence that the services they receive are high quality and represent value for money. High quality care must be accessible regardless of a person’s financial and personal resources, where they live, or their cultural background,” says Claerwen.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will be in place by 1 January, 2019.

 

Read more:

UnitingCare Australia (to be updated)

ABC article

SBS article

The Guardian article


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