OPINION
A UNIFIED VOICE THE STATUS QUO IS NO LONGER AN OPTION
W
ell, 2022 has already presented enormous challenges to LASA Members.
Those who were expecting some summer holiday relief with state borders re-opening after nearly two years of managing COVID-19 found themselves working harder than ever to provide essential services and to protect the vulnerable older Australians in their care. LASA staff too, have worked tirelessly over the past few months to support our Members by providing a helping hand not only in residential care but also to those in home care and retirement living. LASA senior executives have also been working to provide our industry with a strong voice over this time, advocating to government about the impact of the Omicron wave on our Members who were hit with severe staff shortages and scarce supplies of infection control equipment. Under the aegis of the Australian Aged Care Collaboration (AACC), LASA and other key provider groups have campaigned for government action to support an industry on its knees and doing all it can. LASA has also worked closely with Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) to present the government with evidence of the impact of Omicron on providers in the COVID in aged care – situation report and a concept plan for a National Aged Care Coordination Centre to give providers more consistent support during the pandemic. Both of these pieces of work, produced by LASA, provided a platform from which the age services industry could argue with greater authority for solutions to the crisis affecting Members.
Dr Graeme Blackman AO FTSE FAICD Chairman, Leading Age Services Australia In late January, the AACC KPMG project steering committee met and formally concluded the initial project that underpinned the ACSA/LASA decision to work together to create a new, single industry association for aged care. To progress this important initiative ACSA, LASA, AACC and ACRN (Aged Care Reform Network) have established a new Steering Committee with the Chairs and Deputy Chairs of these groups to now progress with the exciting process to design and deliver a truly representative industry association for all providers of aged care services in Australia. There is a genuine sense of commitment within the Steering Committee to take advantage of the opportunity that has been created and deliver an outcome that will be transformational. This is echoed by the repeated calls of support from our Members for this endeavour. The peaks and their Members alike acknowledge that we are all compelled to change; maintaining the status quo for the industry representation and development is no longer an option. This change needs to be truly transformational in nature, and cognisant of the Royal Commissioners’ challenge for the representatives of the age services industry to lead reform in a unified and coordinated manner.
This kind of work, and the impact it can have on our advocacy, bolsters the reasons behind the decision in December 2021 by both the LASA and ACSA Boards to work towards the creation of a unified voice.
Our intent for the new single entity is for it to be designed to position the industry to engage strongly and constructively with government during a period of significant complex reform and to provide the information, advice, services and supports that our Members have come to rely upon, and do this more efficiently and effectively in this challenging operating environment.
This is as timely as it is necessary as this year we begin to see significant change as the reforms recommended by the Aged Care Royal Commission pick up pace and the way in which we deliver services begins to transform.
This is exciting and daunting, given the huge pressures due to the pandemic and the reform agenda. However, the opportunity to reset and transform to a new unified industry association must be seized if we are to dare to dream of a high Continued on page 8
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