A report commissioned by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has found Australia lagging behind other countries in monitoring aged care quality.
The research, performed by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), suggests Australia could have easily established routine monitoring and reporting practices seen in countries like Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA.
SAHMRI also believes these outcomes could be achieved with existing data, without adding an additional burden to aged care providers.
The Royal Commissioners, the Honourable Tony Pagone QC and Ms Lynelle Briggs AO, say independent measurement and public reporting is needed by the sector now.
“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.
