The sector has four months to get ready for the new Aged Care Act – and Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson says providers need clarity from the Department of Health, Disabiity and Ageing now.
Speaking at the peak body's NSW/ACT State Conference on Thursday (26 June), Tom said the sector is at risk of wasting critical time without a firm schedule for key updates.
"We need a roadmap," he told the audience. "At least one that providers can see – that says enabling legislation will happen in July, the rules will come out at X, the next IT update will happen here… that’s a big priority for us.”
While final rules for the Act are still pending after Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, and Sam Rae, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, announced on 4 June a four-month delay of the new Aged Care Act, Tom said providers need a minimum of three months’ notice to implement them. “Three months, bare minimum – because we’ve got to make a really good go of this, not let it fall over.”
He said Ageing Australia is not pushing for a redesign of the Act during the delay but is seeking amendments to fix technical issues including a wrongly drafted RAD retention clause – and lobbying for changes to the rules, particularly on the 10% cap on care management in home care.
Tom is also urging the Federal Government to release more Home Care Packages, after Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, on 6 June announced a delay in releasing the promised 83,000 Home Care Packages until 1 November.
“We don’t agree. That decision should be remade,” he said. “If people had care 12 months earlier, they might never have needed residential care.”
