Reform

Providers are beginning to move through the first wave of registration renewals under the new Aged Care Act. A recent Commission webinar sheds light on earlier timelines, audit changes, evidence requirements and the real cost of variation and renewal.

Aged care reforms were designed to improve fairness and consistency, but early signs suggest growing pressure across the system. As concerns emerge from across parliament and the sector, questions are being raised about how decisions are made and whether the balance between policy and lived experience is holding.

Empathy and community experience integral to health and aged care governance, RN shares. Nominated to state health advisory role, Arun Thomas looks to regional community insight to guide effective decisions.

Veteran aged and health care expert warns against sector straying into government financing decisions and approval. She champions boundaries of scope for the sector to avoid traps and consequences.

A powerful new alliance of aged care leaders is urging the government to rethink its reform agenda, warning that merging CHSP into Support at Home could increase costs, reduce access and weaken the community-based supports older Australians rely on.

Corporate project-management expert Michael Goldsworthy sees the “catastrophe” aged care is facing from current crisis. Government must approach sector for a relationship re-do, to build trust and insight, if reform has any hope to land well.

Aged care consultant Lynda Henderson helped design the Integrated Assessment Tool underpinning Support at Home. As a care recipient herself, she now questions how the system works in practice.

The debate over “two-tiered” dining in aged care isn’t new, but it is resurfacing with sharper edges. As expectations rise and funding constraints persist, providers are navigating a delicate balance between offering choice and preserving dignity. The real issue isn’t whether premium options should exist, but how to deliver them in a shared living environment without creating division at the table.

IHACPA has opened a national consultation seeking feedback from providers, workers and consumers to inform pricing advice for the Australian Government’s Support at Home program.

Advocates and GPs remind policymakers that home visit care is central to preventative healthcare strategy. Reducing hospital and RAC strain must be a key focus for the budget ahead.