It has taken three months for the Government to publish the Final Report for the Independent Capability Review of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC), which was handed back to them in April.

Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells said she had already directed the Department of Health and Aged Care to establish a senior level Steering Group to advise the Government on the path forward, which was a recommendation of the Final Report. 

The review, which was conducted by David Tune AO PSM, IHACPA Chair and Chair of the 2017 Labor Government’s review of aged care legislation, stated the Commission has faced significant challenges, including attracting and retaining staff (the Commission has a staff vacancy rate of 20%). 

Key points:  

• that the complaints system must be “urgently reviewed” to ensure complaints are triaged appropriately and acted on in a timely way (in three years of operation, the regulator has not met its target of resolving 80% of complaints about service providers within 60 days),  
• that leadership is visible, transparent and collaborative, and  
• that the legislative framework is "too complicated”. 

The Government brought forward the review in October 2022, to ensure that the Commission is fit-for-purpose.  

You can read the report in full here. 

The SOURCE: David Tune’s report sets a path for improvement for the regulator, which only came into existence in 2019.