The Minister for Aged Care Services, Senator Richard Colbeck (pictured), has pledged greater transparency and accountability on how residential care is funded as the sector moves towards the implementation of the new Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) model in six months’ time.
One of the Government’s key aged care announcements in Tuesday’s Budget was the announcement of the average AN-ACC figure, which will be set at $216.80 a day and start from 1 October 2022 – above the current ACFI average funding figure of around $188 a day.
Combined with the $10 a day increase in the Basic Daily Fee introduced last July, providers can expect to receive around $225 per day under the new funding model.
But the Minister said that providers will be subject to closer scrutiny, including on the delivery of the 200 direct care minutes per resident per day requirement which will be rolled out from October 2023.
“Effectively, providers will be required to report their care minutes that they provide. They will also be required to report financially on a quarterly basis, rather than the annual process that they currently do,” he said.
“And of course, all of this information will be folded into the new star rating system that will be brought into place that will be publicly reported.
“So, providers will be paid based on the assessed needs of their residents under the new funding model. They will be required to report the care provided against that funding that they receive. That will be rolled into the reporting that we provide publicly so that people all have visibility of the care that is being provided and the benchmarks against the assessed needs of the residents in the aged care facilities.”
In short, residential care providers will benefit from additional funding – but will have to prove that they are delivering on the care and quality that the Government and consumers expect.
