There are only 39 business days remaining before the new Aged Care Act becomes law on 1 July, yet key details are still missing and there is worrying uncertainty among providers, say peak body advocates.
"It’s becoming clearer by the day that we won’t be ready to implement every program due to the sheer scale of change," said Tom Symondson, CEO of Ageing Australia (pictured above left), the peak body that represents 75% of residential aged care and home care providers.
A "staged approach" is "vital", he said.
"We know everything won’t be ready, so we need to work with the Government and the opposition on a plan B.
“If we don’t get this right we risk widespread confusion for older Australians and a loss of confidence in the sector as a whole," he said, adding the sector is already under workforce and financial sustainability pressures.
Rules
Jennene Buckley, Director of home care advisory firm Enkindle Consulting (pictured above right), told The Weekly SOURCE the top priority for the Government now must be to complete consultations and finalise the Aged Care Rules.
Only when the final rules become law can agreements be completed for clients and subcontractors, handbooks be updated, and training and communications finalised, Jennene said.
Guidance materials
The Government also needs to provide a clear list of the guidance material that will be made available, and when training sessions and resources will be provided by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission about the Act.
For example, more guidance and training is needed on whistleblower protections and the supporter's framework.
Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) providers need guidance on their "new obligations and registration conditions that are new to them", for example on matters relating to suitability, changes of circumstances, provider governance, Jennene said.
Support at Home details finalised
Finally, Support at Home details must be finalised and included in an updated manual.
Training is needed for claiming on Service Australia, and dates for training and webinars for Support at Home are also needed - "including an urgent webinar to take questions from providers on the Manual", said Jennene.
Weekly updates of the Support at Home FAQs document would also be helpful as the current document has not been updated since February.
Get the most important industry news straight to your inbox. Subscribe to our free newsletter: https://www.theweeklysource.com.au/newsletter-subscription-form
