Ian Yates AO, Chief Executive of COTA Australia, has been making some fascinating statements in the media this week. They give valuable insight into what to expect from the Royal Commission.
Why? Because he is listened to, with respect.
Ian is recognised as the only real, legitimate aged care speaker on behalf of consumers – the constituents of politicians.
His balanced, pragmatic and informed guidance has been listened to by these politicians on all sides plus bureaucrats for 29 years.
This week he gave a very revealing commentary in the Australian Financial Review, which join the comments we published last week from Derek McMillan. Ian’s comments included the following:
- Consumers will need to pay more for aged care….
Ian Yates said higher co-contributions from consumers, who could afford to pay more, had to be on the Royal Commission’s agenda.
“[The terms of reference] doesn’t mention user charges but the fact that we have a totally incoherent user charging system is something they are going to have to address.”
“I think it’s inevitable that those who have the capacity to pay will pay more because we need to protect those who don’t.”
- The current system of government controlled issuing of bed licences is anti-consumer and a restraint of trade:
“…the licence allocation system was a “government-imposed restraint of trade”.
"[Licences] don’t ultimately protect a poor provider but they guarantee a poor provider a share of the market,” he said.
“We need to create incentives and rewards for providers who do the right thing. And how do we know they are doing the right thing? Because there are lots of people who want to live there.”
We asked Ian yesterday if this means he is a free marketeer? He offered that he believes in ‘consumer preference’ driving the market to deliver what the consumer wants and deserves.
He also reflected on freeing up market competition.
- Consolidation and better outcomes for consumers.
“There are many operators who are too small, with no scale, without IT, clinical governance systems and the financial capacity”.
He summarised that the financial capacity to invest and reinvest is essential in delivering quality aged care.
Ian also pointed to COTA’s 5 Point Plan for Government. You can read it HERE.
The summary points are:
- We need: Funding for 30,000 more high level home care packages so no one waits more than three months for care.
- We need: Legislation by March 2019 to set a definite date to put residential aged care places in the hands of consumers, not providers.
- We need: Compulsory publication of aged care services, prices and performance by mid-2019.
- We need: To build the capacity of the aged care workforce to deliver quality care.
- We need: Random and targeted totally unannounced inspections by 1 January 2020.
The Royal Commission has 18 months to run. It will redesign the aged care sector for the next 10 to 20 years. Ian Yates will be front and centre for that journey.
