Critic or supporter? How the sector has responded to the Aged Care Bill

It might be too soon to say the dust has settled over the new Aged Care Act as that detail-filled cloud could linger for months as stakeholders sift through information and both Labor and the Coalition arm-wrestle over points of contention.

Since the Aged Care Bill was presented to Parliament, a flurry of responses and opinions have been shared by industry leaders. Hello Leaders has recapped the key insights from across the sector to cut through the noise.

The view from the top

The Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) was one of the first peak bodies to share their thoughts with CEO Tom Symondson congratulating both parties for “finding a way through after months of intense negotiations.” 

Mr Symondson also appeared on Nine’s Today Extra to discuss the reform’s impact.

“Critically, at the moment, we just don’t have enough beds. We don’t have enough Home Care Packages. We’ve got people waiting a year [for home care] and are 95% full across the country in residential aged care,” he said.

“We need to be building 10,000 beds every year. We’re closing more than we open so the real risk is if we didn’t implement these reforms people wouldn’t be able to get care. 

“It will also bring up the quality. The quality’s already improving, a lot of money’s been put into aged care since the Royal Commission but people want to see more and better [care].”

He also mentioned the very real challenge that the Aged Care Act is just the starting point. Mr Symondson said the sector needs to create 200,000 new beds and find 100,000 aged care workers over the next 20 years. 

“At the moment we haven’t had any certainty so no one’s been able to invest or plan. These reforms give us certainty. It’s not all fixed… but we couldn’t do it without these reforms,” he added. 

Supporting improvement

There has been plenty of love for aged care reform progress with leaders pleased to reach a major milestone. Anglicare Australia Acting Executive Director, Maiy Azize, said the Government has finally put its money where its mouth is.

“There have been more than twenty reviews of aged care in the last twenty years, but none of them have led to real change. Government after government has failed to act on them. Today, that finally changed with a new Act that delivers on dozens of recommendations from the aged care Royal Commission,” she said.

“The Government has also put its money where its mouth is with more funding for Support at Home, and a fairer system to fund residential aged care. This will help more older Australians get quality care they need, when they need it, where they need it.”

Anglicare Southern Queensland Acting CEO, Anna Zilli, echoed the thoughts of Mr Symondson about the impact of certainty on providers. 

“These new reforms are all about improving the lives of older Australians and to ensure greater funding is given to providers to remain viable so they can continue supporting those most vulnerable now and into the future,” Ms Zilli said.

“We’re looking forward to the new Aged Care Act progressing through parliament which will provide certainty, supporting the sector to grow and meet the needs of a booming ageing population.”

For others, introducing a rights-based Act means the legislation will align with models of care that are being delivered across Australia. McLean Care Chief Executive, Sue Thomson, said the Act formally ensures voices of older people remain at the forefront.

“The new laws represent a milestone for our industry and the opportunity to collectively enhance the standard of aged care across Australia and deliver the services that our aged care residents deserve,” Mrs Thomson said.

“Numerous reviews have highlighted the challenges facing the aged care sector and the industry must treat this legislation as a line in the sand. We must do better to ensure all Australians can be assured of high quality, dignified care later in life.”

Hall & Prior Chief Executive, Graeme Prior, is on a similar page as he acknowledged many of the changes in the Act are already incorporated into their daily practices, but the organisation still looks forward to adapting accordingly.

“As aged care providers, it is our responsibility to embrace the reform and to ensure that every Australian receives quality care, choice and compassion in their later years,” he said.

Keeping the pressure on

Just as Mr Symondson said to Nine, “It’s not all fixed” and that’s why some leaders are keeping the pressure on. Invox representatives Roland Naufal and Matt Hart said there are concerning elements in the fine print, with “very significant funding cuts to Care Management payments are in the pipeline” one of the top issues for home care providers. 

“The layers of complexity in the new system are boggling our minds and we know the existing simpler system is already a major challenge for many organisations. It’s complex for us to explain, imagine trying to get staff and systems to implement it all by 1 July in a way that does not result in a bunch of Audit non-compliance notices,” they said.

Independent aged care consultant Sarah Barter also said the reforms run the risk of “looking good for election purposes” while lacking genuine transformative outcomes.

“How this actually translates into a stronger sector, better care and outcomes for older people and the wider community remains to be seen,” she said.

“Supporting people to live independently at home is an important policy aspiration that seems straightforward but achieving it in practice is complex.”

Grassroots advocacy group, Aged Care Reform Now, is another party concerned by the Aged Care Bill. The organisation urged the Senate to carefully scrutinise the Bill and make necessary amendments. 

“While some progress has been made, we remain deeply concerned about the prospects for meaningful aged care reform in Australia,” it said. 

“Despite extensive engagement with politicians and policymakers, the voices of advocates like ourselves and older people continue to be drowned out by powerful provider lobbyists.

“Aged Care Reform Now believes that the proposed Bill will not adequately address the systemic issues plaguing the aged care sector. Providers have once again prevailed, prioritising their own interests over the needs of older people and their families.”

These viewpoints once again show that there’s no easy solution to aged care reform.