The Government is implementing a massive aged care reform agenda. Here are the five key reforms that will affect aged care providers in October to December 2022:
From 1 October 2022, the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) will be replaced by the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC).
Aged Care Providers should ensure they have followed the transitional arrangements that the Department of Health and Aged Care has implemented over the course of this year to help providers shift from ACFI to AN-ACC.
Department of Health and Aged Care: Residential aged care funding reform; Department of Health and Aged Care: The AN-ACC care funding model; New Bills Presented to Parliament Affecting Residential Aged Care Provider Responsibilities.
Aged care service providers are now required to submit the new Quarterly Financial Report (QFR) in addition to their other reporting obligations. Via the QFR, residential aged care providers must report:
Note that Food and Nutrition was previously reported separately but is now reported as part of the QFR.
The QFR must be submitted four times throughout the financial year. Submission dates for the 2022/23 financial year are as follows:
Aged Care Providers should ensure they are gathering the required data and will be ready to report by 4 November 2022.
Department of Health and Aged Care: Quarterly Financial Report; Department of Health and Aged Care: Quarterly financial report updates and Q&A; Financial and Prudential Responsibilities: A Summary for Aged Care Providers.
This reform requires aged care providers to comply with a new Code of Conduct. It will also give the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner power to take action in relation to compliance with, and enforcement of, the Code of Conduct, including the power to ban a person from working as an aged care provider or aged care worker.
This reform is expected to commence on 1 December 2022. As at 26 September 2022, the new Code has not been issued. The Department of Health and Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission have indicated that they will provide more guidance on this reform soon.
Aged Care Providers should familiarise themselves with this summary of the upcoming reform and await further guidance from the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission: Code of Conduct for Aged Care – information for providers; New Bills Presented to Parliament Affecting Residential Aged Care Provider Responsibilities.
Under this reform, from 1 December 2022, all approved providers will be required to:
Providers who were approved prior to 1 December 2022 will have until 1 December 2023 to meet the following
additional requirements:
Aged Care Providers should familiarise themselves with this summary of the upcoming reform and await further guidance from the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission: National Aged Care Reforms; New Bills Presented to Parliament Affecting Residential Aged Care Provider Responsibilities.
This reform introduces a new requirement for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care to evaluate an aged care providers’ performance, allocate them a “star rating” and then publish this rating. Residential aged care services will be given an overall star rating, as well as a rating against four sub-categories:
This reform is expected to commence sometime in late 2022. The Department of Health and Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission have indicated that they will provide more guidance on this reform soon.
This reform requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care to publish information relating to aged care services. This reform also empowers the Minister to tell the Secretary what kind of information should be published. This reform does not directly affect aged care providers and does not require providers to collect or disclose information. However, providers should expect that in the near future the Department of Health and Aged Care will use the powers granted by this reform to publish information about aged care providers such as:
This reform overlaps with the new star ratings, but it is possible that the Government could publish information about providers in other ways as well. This reform is expected to commence on 1 December 2022.
Aged Care Providers should note that from late 2022 some of their financial, care time, and staffing information may be published by the Department of Health and Aged Care, and the Department will be allocating them a “star rating” and publishing this rating.
Department of Health and Aged Care: Star ratings for residential aged care; New Bills Presented to Parliament Affecting Residential Aged Care Provider Responsibilities; Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission: National Aged Care Reforms.
These five reforms are only the first stages of a massive agenda for change that will unfold over the next few years. Other key reforms set to commence next year include:
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