Australia lags behind other countries in monitoring aged care quality and safety, according to research commissioned by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
The research, performed by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), was released this week on the heels of a fiery Senate hearing that examined the sector’s response to the COVID-19 crisis earlier this month.
SAHMRI believes Australia can easily establish routine monitoring and reporting practices, similar to those seen in countries like Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA, and that these outcomes could be achieved with existing data, and no further burden to providers.
“Unbiased measurement and reporting of performance is vital to create accountability and continuous improvement in the aged care sector. Without it, problems are hidden from sight and not addressed,” the Commissioners said.
“It is unacceptable that in 2020 the aged care system is still without this. Had the Australian Government acted upon previous reviews of aged care, the persistent problems in aged care would have been known much earlier and the suffering of many people could have been avoided.”
The full report is available for download here.
The Royal Commission is due to resume next week, with Home Care the focus.
