Follow up to the Reforming in-home aged care and regulation update webinar
In this webinar, Minister for Aged Care, The Hon Anika Wells MP, announced that the Australian Government is returning to the timeframe put forward by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to deliver a reformed and improved in-home aged care program by 1 July 2024.
The Minister explained this represents an extension from our previous July 2023 start date and will allow us to develop and deliver a well-considered program in consultation with older Australians and community stakeholders.
During the webinar, Department of Health and Aged Care representatives covered the next steps for reforming in-home aged care and provided updates on:
- The outcomes of previous consultations, and how input has informed the program’s future direction and will inform the development of the new Aged Care Act
- Designing a new approach to regulating aged care and the development of an overarching Aged Care Act, including upcoming engagement opportunities to inform this work
- The urgent review of the Aged Care Quality Standards, including upcoming engagement opportunities
You can watch the recording of this webinar.
What we heard
3,992 people attended the webinar and over 300 questions were submitted.
The aged care sector is very interested in all aged care reforms and want to be more involved in consultation.
Questions from the webinar indicated the following:
- Providers are concerned about the lack of qualified staff available to meet the increasing demand for services
- Providers are considering how the new two hour minimum shift requirements will impact the new service model
- Details regarding the approval/registration process for new and existing providers under the new program needs to be provided
- Providers and those receiving services are keen for reforms to in-home aged care to be settled to have more certainty about future arrangements.
What we’re doing
As the new program develops, we will regularly update the Reforming in-home aged care webpage. This page includes:
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all upcoming events through the consultation calendar such as consultation activities and webinars
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a list of Frequently Asked Questions from our webinars which will be available under resources section
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links to the Ageing and Aged Care Engagement Hub to see how you can further be involved and subscription to the Your Aged Care Update newsletter.
If you have any questions about this webinar or other engagement opportunities, please email sah.implementation@health.gov.au.
Let's change aged care, together
Every Australian should feel confident about accessing high quality and safe aged care, when and where they need it.
The changes mean older Australians will have greater choice and control, services that respect and meet their needs, and support to stay independent as they age.
To find out more and help design the changes, visit the Get Involved page or call 1800 318 209.