Royal Commission wrapped-up

THE FIRST STEPS ON THE ROAD TO REFORM

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was established on 8 October 2018, and over the course of two-and-a-half years, it analysed 10,574 submissions and heard from 641 witnesses at 26 hearings.

Its Terms of Reference summarised the focus of the Commissioners’ inquiry under the following key themes:

• Quality of aged care services • How best to deliver aged care services • Look into future challenges and opportunities for delivering accessible, affordable and high quality age care services • What the Australian

Government, aged care industry and wider community can do to strengthen • How to ensure services are person-centred • How best to deliver services in a sustainable way • Other matters considered to be relevant (including

COVID-19) The first year centred on case studies and particularly honed in on the quality and safety elements of the inquiry, especially the lived experience of individual service users and their families. Hearings called on a small number of providers and from this were extrapolated a number of propositions put by the Counsel leading the investigations on behalf of the Commissioners. The formal hearings were supplemented by a series of community engagements, and the combined evidence led to the publication of the Interim Report - Neglect, with the focus squarely on providers.

The timeline of the Commission was extended due to the volume of work and the interruption of COVID-19, which itself became an additional area for review. While technically related to outbreaks in New South Wales, this led to the first element of the Final Report (Aged Care and COVID-19: special report), published early in response to a need for guidance and action. This report acknowledged the commitment of aged care providers and workers to protect older Australians in their greatest ever challenge.

The final year of hearings turned attention away from the individual experience and to the systemic issues facing the industry. The Final Report was described by the Commission as containing 148 wide-ranging recommendations for the

fundamental reform of the aged care system. The conclusion of the Commissioners was that there are, ‘no doubt, some instances of wrongful or inappropriate behaviour, but the system as a whole is a product of different elements frequently acting as expected and intended, but not producing the best outcomes for those in need’.

The full response from the Australian Government, published to accompany its 2021-22 Budget, indicates that 126 of the 148 recommendations were supported. However, the devil is in the detail in terms of what is actually going to be actioned. (Please see our story on page 22 for details.)

The government’s financial response is significant, but as the Commission notes previous ‘limitations on funding have been a major contributor to the substandard care so many older Australians experience. In simple terms, quality care has decreased, at least in part, because we, through the Australian Government, have decreased funding levels in real terms over the last 20 years.

What is agreed is the need for fundamental reform, because the current system is unacceptable and unsustainable. Leading Age Services Australia—our nation’s largest age services industry body—has called for immediate action to remediate urgent problems in aged care, such as the home care wait list, and to support providers to deliver the quality of care to which they aspire.

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We have called for a detailed plan that explains the detail around the government’s financial commitments, to help providers and the wider community to understand how the aged care system will be transitioned to a transformed, worldclass service.

Throughout the course of the Commission, LASA has advocated for our Members, for a better system and we have supported our Members through Updates, hearing summaries, precis and analyses of publications, a Member support service, and through our own analysis, syntheses and events. We have valued being able to support providers through this time.

With the Royal Commission complete, the focus is now on reform. The real work now begins, to put us on the road to a better ageing future.

Jane Bacot-Kilpatrick is Executive Officer, Leading Age Services Australia.

TLC offers 76 award winning nutritionally balanced meals to over 3,200 suburbs across NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD.

EST. 1995

TLC welcomes Kerry Chikarovski

to the Tender Loving Cuisine Australia Board

Tender Loving Cuisine is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020 and with the COVID-19 Virus lockdown, TLC has proved to be a godsend to our many customers. The anniversary was chosen as the year that founder Jack Barker would appoint a board of directors to expand TLC services throughout the Australian community. To further celebrate, TLC has confirmed that the former Leader of the NSW Liberal Party, Kerry Chikarovski, has accepted an invitation to join the board of Tender Loving Cuisine Australia. Being a staunch supporter for the status of women and for our ageing and disability sectors during her career in politics, it was an opportunity that Kerry felt would enable her to positively impact on the good health of seniors. TLC commenced operations at Royal North Shore Hospital in 1995 to provide quality home delivered meals to discharged patients. TLC has agreements with most charities and Home Care Providers to supply premium home delivered meals to clients.

As a registered NDIS Provider, TLC is able to support thousands of disabled clients with proper nutrition to improve their quality of living. TLC invites all health professionals and existing registered providers of HCP or NDIS packages to establish an agreement that could improve the health and well-being of their clients.