"I think in some ways we've gone backwards in the last five or six years. Trying to define home care as a market-based commodity has, I think, really damaged some of the quality care outcomes that were delivered in the past,” says Paul Ostrowki, CEO of Care Connect.
Not For Profit Care Connect links consumers with one of the largest networks of home care service providers in Australia.
In order to improve, Paul believes the home care sector needs a period of stability after the recent “quite extraordinary” years of change and after the government’s reforms to ‘in-home aged care’, which are due to come in on 1 July 2024.
“I understand that we want the system to improve, but I also believe that significant periods of stability will allow solutions to present themselves,” he said.
“Providers want to succeed. They want to do the best thing by their care recipients. And if you give them a stable environment, the strongest, the most innovative, the most customer serviced, focused providers in a stable environment will rise to the surface and they will create really positive change.
“When we implement support at home, I think it will be critical that we commit to it for a number of years to allow that real quality service to emerge.”
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