Aged Care Collaborative launches to address critical workforce challenges

Workforce innovations are about to be fast-tracked into existence following the launch of the Aged Care Collaborative which will fund and support evidence-based projects that address critical workforce challenges in the sector.

The $3 million Aged Care Collaborative is the latest exciting Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) development. 

It will offer three funding opportunities to aged care organisations and their partners in the form of two larger Flagship Projects and one round of Accelerator Grants. 

Harnessing the collective wisdom of the aged care ecosystem to invest in and implement evidence-based solutions, ARIIA Chief Executive Officer, Reuben Jacob is confident the new funding opportunities will explore aged care’s workforce challenges like never before. 

“The Aged Care Collaborative is well placed to make a meaningful impact on complex workforce issues that are being experienced sector-wide,” he explained.

“These challenges are difficult for providers to tackle in isolation, which is where the Aged Care Collaborative presents a unique opportunity to use a combined effort to unite the sector to enact meaningful change.”

As part of the process, an independent Advisory Group will govern the Aged Care Collaborative’s two Flagship projects. Industry experts, consumers, and subject matter experts will select participants and provide feedback, advice and recommendations throughout the 12-month program.

Mr Jacob said the expertise will ensure that project outcomes that tackle problems at scale can be effectively measured.

He also acknowledged the support of the Australian Government in making these new grants possible and said ARIIA would collaborate closely with the Department of Health and Aged Care and the aged care sector to communicate the progress, impacts and outcomes.

Meanwhile, an Independent Assessment Panel will assess applications submitted to the Accelerator Grants to ensure funding is awarded to organisations to implement innovative solutions that best address the workforce issues faced by the sector.

The Flagship Projects are an intriguing step forward for ARIIA as a total of $2 million will go directly to two multi-site scalable projects. 

• Flagship Project 1 will implement an evidence-based leadership model that optimises workforce structures and organisational culture to prepare for and be capable of delivering reform and complex change. 
• Flagship Project 2 will build the capability of the workforce to better understand, interpret and use data within their organisation to improve care.

Diverse aged care organisations will collectively embed and test evidence-based innovations in their different national contexts. Once completed, evidence and insights can be implemented across various aged care contexts on a large scale. 

ARIIA will facilitate the Flagship Projects as the research and project implementation partner to enable consistent, centralised and collaborative project management and evaluation. 

ARIIA’s Program and Research Director, Dr Rebecca Bilton said it’s a unique opportunity for providers to collaborate and implement an innovative workforce solution. 

“This collaboration will involve sharing processes, progress, lessons learned, and outcomes, ultimately offering valuable evidence and insights that can be implemented at scale across different aged care contexts,” she said.

“The focus will be on understanding the factors that influence acceptability, adaptability, and sustainability.

“Each Flagship Project topic has been carefully chosen to address key workforce challenges that will benefit from a collaborative approach.”

To achieve meaningful engagement, scale and impact, organisations who are selected following an application process will be expected to match the funding with cash and/or in-kind co-contributions.

Application forms and more information will be available on Tuesday, March 11 at ariia.org.au/aged-care-collaborative.

The Accelerator Grants will direct the remaining $1 million to projects that augment the current aged care workforce to deliver specialist care, support, knowledge and resources to where they’re needed. 

Each grant is capped at $100,000, with ARIIA hopeful of funding projects that address workforce and skills shortages in new ways through technology or innovative workforce and human services models.

“Older people are increasingly choosing to age in place, and are living longer, so care needs are becoming more complex,” Dr Bilton said. 

“These factors are stretching the workforce across broader geographical areas, with limited access to the specialist skills needed to support place-based care or to provide high-quality care at the scale needed in the future.

“The Accelerator Grants will fund projects that address these challenges by augmenting the existing aged care workforce to meet the growing demand, clinical complexity and geographic spread of older people.”  

Grants of up to $100,000 are available via one grant round, with a requirement for matched co-contribution (cash and/or in-kind). Applications must include an aged care organisation and a research organisation.

The Accelerator Grant Guidelines and Application Form will be available on Monday, February 17 at ariia.org.au/aged-care-collaborative. Applications will close on March 31.