Ruston backs Inspector-General of Aged Care’s focus
- Prevention focus: Anne Ruston says timely aged care is an investment
- Implementation criticised: Government's implementation botched
- Human oversight: Restoring assessor discretion immediate reform priority
- Next steps: Parliament returns on 11 August
Shadow Minister for Aged Care Anne Ruston says she wants older Australians to receive “the care they need, when they need it”.
As the Inspector-General of Aged Care Natalie Siegel-Brown argued more spending on prevention would ultimately reduce the cost burden on hospitals and aged care, the Senator told The Weekly SOURCE, proving timely care “isn't a cost, it’s an investment”.
“Providing timely care helps people stay healthier, more independent and in their own homes for longer,” she said.
“It’s better for the individual, it eases pressure on hospitals and residential aged care, and it's ultimately a better outcome for taxpayers.”
There are currently about 200,000 older Australians either waiting to be assessed for aged care, or waiting to receive the level of Support at Home they have been assessed as needing.
Reforms “botched”
Like Siegel-Brown, Ruston supported the intent of the new Aged Care Act.
However, the Government's implementation of the reforms has been “botched” and needs fixing before the problems become “permanently embedded”, she said.
“The Inspector-General has confirmed what older Australians, families and providers have been telling us for months – the system isn’t working as intended,” Ruston said.
“Older Australians deserve better than a system that looks good on paper but is failing them in practice.”
Human oversight of IAT a key priority
As a starting point, Ruston said human oversight should be restored to aged care assessments for Support at Home.
“You cannot build a person-centred aged care system while forcing assessors to accept what a computer says over what they see,” she said.
Ruston’s Private Senator's Bill, which aims to introduce human oversight of Support at Home to assessment decisions, passed in the Senate earlier this month with only Labor voting against it.
However, Aged Care Minister Sam Rae went on national radio the same dau to announce he would be consulting with the sector over the winter break on new legislation.
He has proposed allowing the assessor delegate, the final reviewer of IAT decisions, to escalate cases to the System Governor, the Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing.
Parliament resumes on 11 August.
Natalie Siegel-Brown steps down as the Inspector-General of Aged Care on 31 July. Her replacement has not been announced.
