Aged Care Association NZ’s Post

Some really big changes coming to the Aged Care sector; reform that has been a long time coming. There is genuine excitement about planning and implementing these changes and unlocking new opportunities to support our residents and clients to live meaningful and connected lives. #AgedCareReform #AgedCare #Transformation

New Aged Care Bill passes Parliament Earlier this week, on Monday, 25 November 2024, the Australian Parliament passed the Aged Care Bill. The passing of the Bill ushers in a new Aged Care Act that will bring a range of improvements for older people, placing them and their needs at the heart of aged care. With the new Aged Care Act, from 1 July 2025 there will be: • Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards to ensure higher quality of care from providers • A Statement of Rights for older Australians, helping to place their rights, safety, dignity, and choice front and centre • A $4.3 billion Support at Home program that will replace the Home Care Package program and help seniors live independently in their homes for longer. Catholic Healthcare is committed to keeping our clients, residents, families, and community members informed and helping you navigate these changes. If you're currently a Home Care Package client, you will automatically transition to the new program on 1 July 2025, in such a way that you will be ‘no worse off’. If you’re not yet receiving a Home Care Package, there’s no need to wait until 2025 to explore what services you may be eligible for under the current system. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 1800 225 474. #ProudToBeCHL #AgedCare#AgedCareAct

📣 HUGE news for Rural Aged Care! 📣 A brilliant article by Aged Care Insite, goes through the current government's plan to invest heavily into Aged Care, particularly in the areas that are most desperate for support. My three key takeaways are: 💵 The Australian government is allocating $900 million to improve aged care services in rural, remote, and specialist areas as part of a broader $5.6 billion reform package. 🏡 $600 million will go toward the “Support at Home” program, streamlining care access and replacing several existing programs by 2027. 🏥 The remaining $300 million will fund infrastructure to support aged care providers in underserved regions, aiming to enhance care accessibility for vulnerable populations. Full article linked below:

This week marks a historic milestone for the aged care sector with the passing of the Aged Care Bill 2024. This landmark reform introduces the Support at Home Program and a renewed focus on creating a more compassionate, transparent, and quality-driven system for older Australians. Effective from 1 July 2025, the new Aged Care Act addresses the primary recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and brings a range of long-awaited changes. These reforms will support older Australians to remain independent, live at home longer, and experience care that prioritises their safety, dignity, and respect. This transformation aligns with our mission and long-standing approach to Aged Care. We are thrilled to embrace these changes and are committed to supporting a seamless transition into this new era of aged care. Together, we will continue to deliver meaningful support to older Australians and their families, ensuring they live with dignity, respect, and independence. You can read more about our aged care services on our website: https://lnkd.in/gBxvxZC3 #AgedCare #SupportAtHome #AgedCareBill2024

A historic step was made yesterday for Aged Care in Australia with The Aged Care Bill 2024 passing the Senate. The Bill has cleared the Senate with bipartisan support which marks this as a major milestone for elderly australians and the industry. Some of the key takeaways aways include - - Better complaint handling - Registration conditions in the rules - Senate review of the rules - Resident’s right to access their designated person The bill introduces significant reforms, including financial changes for those entering care, while protecting our current residents. The Bill will now move to the House of Representatives, where approval is expected from next week. For those in the industry what are your thoughts? What impact do you think the bill will have on the elderly? https://lnkd.in/gMRs4dgb

🚨 Enhanced Complaints Handling Is Now Law - Senate Passes Landmark Aged Care Bill 🚨 #Agedcare minister Anika Wells has told parliament today that Aged Care Bill 2024 has now passed both houses. Providers are now entering a new era of heightened accountability. Among its key features is enhanced complaints handling, ensuring concerns are addressed swiftly and effectively—and leaving no room for lapses in care standards. "Today marks the passage of the most impactful aged care reform in 30 years. Today, our rights based aged care bill passed the parliament putting older people and not providers at the center of aged care," she said earlier. This isn’t just a box-ticking exercise. It’s about building trust, strengthening communication, and delivering the care every resident deserves. At Tell Touch, we’re proud to already be helping aged care providers address feedback proactively—long before it escalates. With tools designed to foster transparency and responsiveness, we’re here to ensure you stay compliant while prioritising quality care. Now’s the time to act. Let’s work together to meet these new expectations head-on. #AgedCare #Compliance #ComplaintsHandling #TellTouch #CareMatters https://lnkd.in/gD47JqG2

Phase 2a of the New Aged Care Act launched last week, with the release of the draft Rules for Support at Home funding https://lnkd.in/gvutXu6S What have we confirmed in these Rules? - daily subsidies for case management will be allocated to providers at the rate of 1/10 of total package funding, with the remaining 9/10 allocated to individual participant accounts. Given that each unit of case management that is used needs to be reported to a participant, expect savvy participants to twig on to this quite quickly and start asking providers to meet target percentages of this time that will be spent on them - how much an individual has to pay will be different for Independence Vs Everyday Living Costs. Nothing really new here. - restorative and end-of-life care rates have been confirmed - 10% of unspent participant funds (the 9/10ths of the package that can only be spent on the specific individual) roll-over to the next quarter and the rest expire - provider funds (the 1/10th allocated to case management for all participants) are a bit more interesting. The rules wipe out all balances of unspent funds on 30 June and re-credit the account on 1 July with the permitted remainder. The amounts that can be out back in the account are: - for new participants who started in the 6 months before 30 June, the entire balance of unspent funds - for participants whose package started more than 6 months ago, the lesser of the balance of unspent funds and the maximum package funding for the June quarter. - the calculations for income tested rates are, as expected, painful and convoluted - Assistive Technology and Home Modification are going to be controlled by the assessors. Participants will receive a Low, Medium or High assessment from these third parties and the System Governor only has the power to extend expenditure deadline. With a big difference on value between assessments of Low ($500/$1,000), Medium ($2,000) and High ($15,000), you can bet the pressure will be on the assessors not to issue one particular level. - financial hardship support is not available to any participant who gifted more than $10,000 in the last 12 months or $30,000 in the past 5 years. - package top-ups are available for certain veterans (12.5%) and MM6/7 capital costs (50%), but I couldn't see any signs of the increased support for MM4 to MM6 providers that recently found its way into residential care funding There are only a few items left to fill in for in the Support at Home Rules that mostly relate to special services, so this is effectively the final draft. Submissions are open for feedback via rhe consultation page, closing 6 December 2024. #agedcareaustralia G5 Strategic

Breaking 🔨 The Australian Aged Care Reforms are going to help at least 1.4 million older Australians with shorter wait times, more levels of support, and funding for home modifications states Australian Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells. As a provider, wrapping your head around these changes doesn't have to be that complex, and we are hear to make the transition as easy as possible. #Agedcare #supportathome ShiftCare https://lnkd.in/gtttvhiv

Without addressing the unacceptable waiting times, the reforms fall short. Without shifting away from the rationing of service provision irrespective of assessed need, Support at Home objectives will be crippled. #CouncilOfEldersAgedCare #AgedCareReforms #AgedCareBill2024

Aged care reform takes a major step forward: https://lnkd.in/gHrfdKMs The passing of the Aged Care Bill in the Senate marks a turning point in building a fairer and more sustainable aged care system. Central to this reform is a rights-based framework, a key recommendation from the Royal Commission, along with measures to improve the quality and person-centred care for older Australians. This achievement reflects the collective effort of the entire sector—providers, workers, unions, policymakers, and consumers—united in addressing the needs of older Australians. The PICAC Alliance supports this step and we hope to create  thriving aged care system that is inclusive to all Australians, especially those from CALD backgrounds.