The Department of Health and Aged Care has contracted consultants EY to assess the "digital maturity" of the residential aged care sector with a view to developing benchmarks and informing future aged care reforms.
"The Department of Health and Aged Care is committed to helping aged care providers leverage the benefits available from digital innovation," a spokesperson from the Department told The SOURCE.
"The department has partnered with Ernst & Young to conduct a study and deliver a report on digital maturity.
"Our aim is to better understand the current level of digital maturity across the aged care sector and capture an evidence-based benchmark.
"The insights from this project will inform and support mechanisms to bolster the sector’s digital growth and drive aged care reforms."
The $618,532.66 contract began on 5 August 2024 and runs until 31 January 2025, with an option to extend.
In February, the Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council (ACIITC) released its report on digital maturity in Australia's aged care system. From a survey of 165 residential aged care and home care providers they found cybersecurity measures, communication technology, and digital leadership at a board level all scored relatively well, but they identified a lack of innovation, low usage of predictive analytics, and almost zero client access to digital systems.
The aged care sector is in the midst of once-in-a generation reforms that require providers to undertake substantial IT upgrades. However, of the $1.4 billion allocated to upgrading Government's IT systems in the 2024-25 Federal Budget, none was available to aged care providers.
The Weekly SOURCE published on Sunday that the Department of Health and Aged Care is developing $10,000 grants to help residential care and home care operators cover the costs of developing the IT systems needed to implement the once-in-a-generation reforms that are due to take effect in less than eight months' time.
