Parliament must ensure changes to the aged care assessment system give assessors a clear and timely way to correct decisions that don’t reflect an older person’s care needs, COTA Australia says.
The call comes as Parliament considers legislation aimed at addressing serious problems with the Integrated Assessment Tool, following the release of a Senate committee report on Friday.
COTA Australia Chief Executive Officer Patricia Sparrow said while there is broad support for fixing problems with the current system, the proposed solution must deliver better outcomes for older Australians.
“Right now, we have a system where a computer program determines an older person’s level of care even when a skilled and experienced assessment team believes the outcome is wrong,” Ms Sparrow said.
“The Government is proposing a new escalation pathway, but evidence at the Senate Committee Inquiry into this Bill highlighted that the system already has the technical capacity for the assessment team to override decisions.
“If it’s the rules and guidelines preventing older people from getting the care they need and deserve, the government needs to justify why it’s necessary to have another bureaucratic process instead of simply changing those rules.
“Assessment teams need to be able to use their clinical judgement when the system gets it wrong, and older people need certainty about how quickly those decisions will be made.
Ms Sparrow said it is good the exposure draft of rules have been released so the amendments can be assessed in their totality, including introducing a timeframe in which the review will be completed.
However, she said while there are some positive elements, COTA remains concerned the criteria could still leave older Australians without the care they need.
“Changes to the assessment process need to progress, but Parliament has a responsibility to make sure the solution is practical, timely and genuinely improves outcomes for older people.
“Fixing the override problem is a crucial step, but much broader changes are needed to make the aged care assessment system genuinely fit for purpose.
“We welcome action to fix the problems with the current system. Now we need to make sure the fix actually works for older Australians.”
Ms Sparrow said COTA is very pleased to see an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner enshrined permanently with the amendments.
“Having a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner will help ensure First Nations older people can access the quality, culturally appropriate aged care they need and deserve.”
Media contact: Tamara Kotoyan, 0430 291 890 or Alana Mew, 0419 929 722