The Department of Health issued a discussion paper looking at some of the key issues in the design of reforms to in-home aged care.
We created a working group of ACRN members to discuss the issues raised and importantly, examine what was missing. The working group participated in some lively Zoom discussions, sent emails, shared their stories and helped draft and review the report.
The main points raised were:
- The need for trained independent assessors with a clinical background (similar to the ACAT workforce) with the Primary Health Networks having a greater role in the assessment process
- The need for a technological solution to help with communication across service providers with the older person controlling access to information
- strong objection to the Department’s use of the term “care partners’ to describe service facilitators or managers (care should be an attribute they display – not a title)
- Strong objection to the quarterly “use it or lose it” funding model; and lastly
- Some of our members are hearing that non-PBS medicines will no longer be covered by home care packages – we want to put a stop to this before it starts.
You can read the full submission here: