Catholic Health Australia want aged care at forefront of election campaign again

The nation's largest Not For Profit group of health, community, and aged care providers is urging all political parties and candidates to put health and aged care at the forefront of their campaigns after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the Federal Election today (Friday, 28 March).

The Albanese Government came to power in May 2022, stating nobody should be denied access to high quality aged care services.

"Older Australians must be provided access to safe, person-centred and holistic care that is appropriate to individual needs, whether it is being provided in the community, home or a residential facility," the Labor Party's 2021 National Platform stated.

Three years on, the Aged Care Taskforce established by Labor has delivered funding reform, but supply issues around aged care beds, Home Care Packages and workforce persist.

Catholic Health Australia (CHA) CEO Jason Kara said the five-week election campaign provides a chance to outline real reform in health and aged care, ensuring private hospitals remain viable, public hospitals attract appropriate investment, aged care residents receive quality and sustainable care, and regional communities are not left behind.

In aged care, CHA’s proposed reforms include strengthening hardship provisions to ensure people don’t miss out under the new Aged Care Act. 

“The accommodation supplement for aged care residents in financial hardship must be increased and processing times for hardship applications must be reduced to prevent delays in essential care,” said Mr Kara.

“We also need a staged six-month transition to the Support at Home program to ensure providers are ready for the new system.”

CHA has set out six aged care policy priorities:

1. Tackle aged care workforce shortages

2. Address risks to the success of the reform

3. Support aged care providers in rural areas

4. Strengthen support for home-based aged care

5. Enhance hardship provisions in aged care

6. Implement long-stay reforms to reduce bed block

Tom Symondson, the CEO of aged care peak body Ageing Australia, said three weeks ago the timelime for implementing the Support at Home Program was "bordering on impossible" and, after the Federal Budget on Tuesday, underlined the $10,000 per provider for critical upgrades to ICT and systems under the Program was insufficient.

“What we are calling for is a staged approach to implementation of some of the reform programs. We all want these reforms to succeed, but to deliver them, providers need certainty on what is required and enough time to achieve it,” he said.

Ageing Australia had made nine recommendations to Government ahead of the Budget including a $600 million ICT grant program for aged care providers, but this was not reflected in the Budget.