The Federal Government appears to have bowed to pressure around the timing of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) changes for the new Aged Care Act, with the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) revealing some upgrades to ICT will be pushed back to 2026.
What are the changes?
The Department has told The SOURCE, when the Aged Care Act 2024 commences on 1 July 2025, the following updates to both provider and Government systems will be delivered:
- New service types and lists to be used to operate the new Support at Home program;
- New regulatory models under the Aged Care Act 2024 are reflected, and
- To enable providers to successfully make claims and receive payments.
"From October 2025, quality and financial reporting will commence against the registered provider entity," the spokesperson said - as opposed to reporting against the approved provider.
The spokesperson added that the "foundational changes" to ICT capabilities are "substantial", and the change to the timing of ICT changes means providers will be able to use their existing systems from 1 July and gradually transition to more "contemporary" systems.
"The staged implementation approach the department is taking focuses on identifying where providers currently use existing government systems, and then supporting the iterative transition to increasingly contemporary systems that better meet the needs of both providers, and have the rights of older people in Australia central," they said.
The staging also relates to the DOHAC's own systems.
"This staging enables the DOHAC to prioritise the design, delivery and testing of each ICT component prior to being released for providers and consumers to use," the spokesperson said.
Concerns about the tight timeframe to roll out changes to ICT systems were raised by the Aged Care Transition Taskforce, which was established last November by the Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells to help providers manage implementation of the new Aged Care Act by 1 July 2025.
A Summary of the Taskforce's fourth Meeting, held on 17 February 2025, said: "Members advised on risks regarding provider readiness and the time remaining to 1 July 2025 for system updates, workforce training and general preparedness."
The roadmap is available here.
