The Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) has awarded the global management consultants a six-month contract to develop guidance materials, templates and communication materials for the external audits.
They will also review the DoHAC's operating procedures for care time reporting, a spokesperson for the Department told The Weekly SOURCE.
The new requirement for external auditing of care minute reporting was revealed last year in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2024-25, alongside the announcement of the new care minute supplement.
From 1 October 2025, providers' performance against their care minute targets will be used to calculate their entitlement to the care minute supplement.
The audits are intended to reduce the risk of providers receiving "incorrect" amounts of care minute supplement, the spokesperson said.
Last week, we reported the change in the definition of Personal Care Worker, intended to prevent aged care providers including social and emotional support provided by non-direct care staff, such as bus drivers, in their care minute totals.
Once Deloitte Touche Tohamatsu's work is complete, the Department will publish the materials online and share the details in webinars.
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