Yesterday the Interim Report of the Aged Care Royal Commission was presented to the Governor General and to Parliament.
A report calling for comprehensive reform
The Interim Report presents an overview of the aged care system in Australia, a summary of the evidence heard during the Inquiry so far and reports some serious flaws in the system. The Commissioners indicate that comprehensive reform, not a patch-up job, is required to procure a major transformation of aged care in Australia. Exhaustive recommendations will be provided in the Final Report, which is required to be published in November 2020.
The Interim Report contains extensive criticisms of aged care. For example:
“Left out of sight and out of mind, these important services are floundering. They are fragmented, unsupported and underfunded. With some admirable exceptions, they are poorly managed. All too often, they are unsafe and seemingly uncaring. This must change.”
What is the future?
It can be expected that a major policy response from the Federal Government will follow the Final Report, during 2021, prior to the next federal election.
The Interim Report calls for immediate reform in the three areas:
- the Federal Government to fund more home care packages to reduce waiting lists for high level care at home
- to address what the Commission concludes is an over-use of chemical restraint in aged care
- to stop young people with disability going into aged care, and moving those already residing there into more appropriate settings.
More information
You can access an informative fact sheet about the report, the Foreword (which is a useful summary) and the.