The Federal Government is pouring an extra $632.6 million into aged care as part of its Royal Commission response.
Announced in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) update, the new commitments feature measures for:
- home care;
- RAC services and sustainability;
- RAC quality and safety;
- workforce; and
- governance.
Some of the measures include:
- the replacement of the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), Home Care Packages Program, and the Short Term Restorative Care Program with one unified Support at Home Program, designed to be “simpler, fairer and more transparent”;
- an extra $38.8 million in grant funding for the Business Improvement Fund, to help struggling providers overhaul their business or exit the market; and
- a new Serious Incident Scheme (SIRS) for in-home care from 1 July 2022.
According to Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt, and Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Senator Richard Colbeck, this injection builds on the $17.7 billion in funding already committed in the 2021-22 Budget.
“The Morrison Government’s additional commitments in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) MYEFO update brings the total investment in response to the Royal Commission’s final report to more than $18.3 billion, and more than $19.5 billion since the Royal Commission was established in 2018,” the Ministers said.
More information about the Government’s aged care reforms is available online.
Greg Hunt is set to quit politics at the 2022 election.
