The Senate Inquiry into the new Bill has continued to hold hearings across the country including Brisbane (QLD), Port Lincoln (SA), and Newcastle (NSW) in the past week, with the Committee sitting in Melbourne today. So, what have aged care providers had to tell the Committee members?
We have been following the discussions and detail some of the key themes to emerge this week:
1. As we wrote last week, providers are concerned about the rollout timeframe.
Anglicare Australia recommended a transition timeline be included in the Bill, providing the sector with "a six to twelve month transition period for from the moment all information is
available".
Managing Director,
Curtin Heritage Living
David Cox, Managing Director at WA aged care and retirement living provider Curtin Heritage Living, said in particular they would like to see Support at Home reforms delayed, a move also put forward by Catholic Health Australia, which represents over 350 aged care facilities and 20% of the home care market.
"There's not a lot of clarity at this stage and systems aren't built to accommodate," he told this week's hearing. As the rules have not yet been released, "we're hoping Support at Home will come a little bit later than what they're forecasting," he said.
2. Allow ENs to play a greater role, particularly in the regions
Not For Profit Boneham Aged Care Services, which operates a 90-bed aged care home in Millicent, 400km southeast of Adelaide, said they "suggest that the Commonwealth work to devise nursing requirement that allows experienced Enrolled Nurses to fill a greater proportion of the Registered Nursing Care minutes and RN 24 X 7 on call requirements in rural and remote areas as a longer term solution to ensuring quality provision of care."
Allowing ENs to cover a higher rate of care minutes would "mitigate the current high level of RN agency requirement".
3. $600 million in capital grants for thin markets is not enough
Michael Filsell, CEO at Boneham, said, "The last Modified Monash Model 5 to 7 grant funding round was oversubscribed 10 to one."
Boneham Aged Care Services
Not For Profit SA aged care provider Helping Hand, which has 1,000 Home Care Packages, 2,500 Commonwealth Home Support Program clients and 948 residential aged care places, said, "Given the limited funding pool, not all providers operating in thin markets will secure this 2-year grant funding, raising concerns about equitable distribution and the adequacy of resources to meet the widespread need."
There are also concerns about the cost and time involved in applying for grants, and funds being reimbursed in arrears.
4. Support at Home price controls and caps
The submission from Bolton Clarke, Australia's largest Not For Profit aged care provider with 88 residential aged care services and almost 11,000 home care clients, said the introduction on Support at Home price controls should be "deferred pending a review, given the risk of major service disruption."
"Caps on care management are particularly perplexing as a large share of non-compliance in home care is related to low care management spending and poor care management practices," their submission states.
6. A right to needs-based care
Anglicare Australia wants to see older Australians who have been assessed as needing care, receive that care in a timely way. In its submission, it said, "The Statement of Rights should be expanded to include this right for older people who have an assessed need for services.
"Further, the Statement of Principles should be amended to require Commonwealth funding for aged care services to meet the assessed needs of those approved for services."
Needs-based care is also an issue that the Inspector-General of Aged Care raised in the Senate Inquiry, as we reported a couple of weeks ago.
And Bolton Clarke wrote in its submission, "It is disappointing that the New Act makes a person’s right to access aged care contingent on government fiscal priorities – in direct opposition to the Royal Commission."
Almost 50 submissions to the Senate Inquiry have now been published ahead of the 31 October 2024 deadline for its final report.
Submissions and other details are available on the Senate Inquiry's web page.
