The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report made 148 recommendations for generational reform across the aged care system in Australia. Establishment of an Inspector-General was a recommendation of the Royal Commission. The Inspector General is seeking submissions to give people and organisations an opportunity to share their opinions and experiences about the implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report made 148 recommendations for generational reform across the aged care system in Australia. Establishment of an Inspector-General was a recommendation of the Royal Commission.
The Royal Commission identified many problems across the system and made recommendations to Government on how to improve the quality of care for older people. In response, the Government commenced an ambitious reform agenda. Many of the Royal Commission’s recommendations have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented. Others have been rejected or remain under Government consideration.
The Inspector General of Aged Care Act requires the Inspector-General to report on the Commonwealth’s progress towards implementing the Royal Commission’s recommendations. Our first report as an independent office must be delivered to the Minister for Aged Care by 1 June 2024. It will then be tabled in Parliament within 15 sitting days, and it will be published on our website.
Before we were established as a statutory agency, the Office of the Interim Inspector-General prepared the first progress report on the implementation of recommendations from the Aged Care Royal Commission. It was written in July 2023.
A focus on access and navigability
The focus for the 2024 report is access and navigability. We want to look at how people access aged care for the first time, whether they can identify and obtain the care and support they need, whether they understand the system, and how navigate it to access needed care once they are in the aged care system.
The Royal Commission’s Final Report identified ‘access and navigability’ issues as critical to peoples’ experience of aged care. The first progress report and many of our stakeholders have agreed.
Why we are seeking your input
We are seeking submissions to give people and organisations an opportunity to share their opinions and experiences about the implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations with us, with particular focus on the recommendations that relate to how people gain access to aged care and how they navigate aged care once they’re ‘in the system’. In addition to this focus, we welcome comment on any Royal Commission recommendation.
What we want to know
We have identified over 50 recommendations relevant to access and navigability. Our questions below speak primarily to recommendations we consider especially important to improving older peoples’ understanding of the aged care system, their aged care choices, and how they can access care when they need it, whether entering the system or from within it, including those people from diverse backgrounds.
These questions are intended as a guide to help you make a submission; however, you are welcome to provide us with your views on any of the Royal Commission recommendations.
Our questions:
a) What are your impressions of overall progress with implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations?
b) Are you satisfied with communications from the Australian Government around implementation of recommendations?
c) Since the Royal Commission, have you noticed improvements to the way that people access and navigate the aged care system? If so, what has changed? If not, what should change?
2. Dementia support
a) What do you think of the new dementia support pathways?
b) Have you noticed any ‘on the ground’ improvements to the available support and resources?
c) Are you aware of improvements to specialist dementia care in rural and remote areas?
d) Have you noticed any improvements in culturally appropriate dementia care?
e) Is workforce training sufficient to provide the care that people with dementia need?
3. Star Ratings
a) How useful have you found Star Ratings?
b) Do Star Ratings facilitate informed choice about residential aged care services?
c) If you could suggest improvements, what would they be?
d) Should the scope of Star Ratings be broadened, for instance to capture information about staffing levels and access to allied health?
4. Single comprehensive assessment process
a) What should a single assessment tool capture?
b) What features does a single assessment tool need to be appropriate for all?
5. Care finders to support navigation of aged care
a) How has the introduction of Care Finders impacted on peoples’ access to care?
b) Do you have any experiences with (or observations about) the Care Finders program that you wish to share?
c) What more could be done to directly assist people to access and navigate the aged care system, particularly people from diverse backgrounds?
6. Designing for diversity, difference, complexity, and individuality
a) Since the Royal Commission, has the aged care system improved how the needs of people from diverse backgrounds are met? If so, what has changed? If not, what should change?
b) Have you witnessed an increased focus on education and training for cultural awareness? Is it effective?
7. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care pathway within the new aged care system
a) Have there been improvements in the way that the aged care system supports cultural awareness and cultural safety for First Nations people in everyday practice?
8. Access to aged care in rural and remote areas
a) Since the Royal Commission, has access to aged care improved for people living in rural and remote Australia? If so, what has changed? If not, what should change?
9. Access to respite care
a) Since the Royal Commission, has access to respite care improved? If so, what has changed?
If not, what should change?
When considering the above questions, you may also wish to consider:
- Any unintended consequences associated with the reforms.
- Whether there are better ways to deliver on the intent of Royal Commission’s reforms.
- Whether you are satisfied with the level of consultation/information undertaken by the Department of Health and Aged Care, or the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, or other Commonwealth agencies on the implementation of reforms.
We encourage you to provide us with any examples, data, references, or other additional information that you feel would support your submission.
Sharing information with us
As an Australian Government Agency, we must comply with the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles which regulate how agencies collect, hold, use or disclose personal information. Our privacy policy is available here.
If you wish to provide us with a submission you have the option of keeping your identity confidential, for example, using a pseudonym. We do not intend to publish submissions; however, we want to draw on examples and material provided in them in our report. Unless you advise us otherwise, we will attribute cited material in reference to where it comes from, e.g. ‘a consumer peak advised that…’, ‘an aged care recipient said…’, ‘a provider explained that…’.
Where to send your submission
Submissions should be provided by email to royalcommission@igac.gov.au If you wish to provide your submission by post, please address it to:
Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care PO Box 350 Woden ACT 2606, Australia
If you have any queries about the process, please email us at royalcommission@igac.gov.au
The earlier you can get your submission to us the better it will help us prepare our Report. The final deadline for us to be able to consider a submission is 28 March 2024.
