Recent moves to address aged care wait times and concerns about Support at Home assessments are important steps, but the latest figures show too many older Australians are still waiting for the support they need, COTA Australia says.
The call follows the release of updated waiting time data, which shows more than 200,000 older Australians are currently waiting either for an aged care assessment or for the care they have been approved to receive.
COTA Australia Chief Executive Officer Patricia Sparrow said that the Government’s decision to review the Support at Home prioritisation algorithm and provide urgent priority access for people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) were necessary responses to concerns that have been raised about the system.
“Too many older Australians are still waiting too long to be assessed or to receive the aged care support they need to help them stay at home,” Ms Sparrow said.
“Making sure older Australians get the right support at the right time is critical and the Federal Government’s announcement of a review of the Support at Home prioritisation algorithm is a step in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go.
“There are still more than 100,000 older Australians waiting for that support and more than another 140,000 waiting for assessment. That’s a huge number of people left waiting for help with everyday tasks, their health and their independence.
“COTA has long argued that no older Australian should wait more than 30 days to receive the support they’ve been assessed as needing. We are still a long way from achieving that goal.”
Ms Sparrow said concerns about Support at Home assessments have highlighted the importance of ensuring people are not only receiving care more quickly, but that they are being allocated the right level of care in the first place.
“We welcome the Government’s decision to review the prioritisation algorithm and its decision to include Motor Neurone Disease as a condition requiring urgent priority access. These are positive steps that demonstrate a willingness to respond when problems are identified, but the review should go further,” Ms Sparrow said.
“The changes to include MND are welcomed, but it’s also important to remember there are a range of other conditions and circumstances that would also require urgent changes to people’s care and support.
“We need confidence that the assessment and prioritisation system is accurately identifying those with the greatest needs, responding appropriately when circumstances change, and allocating support at the level older people actually require.
“The focus shouldn’t just be on how quickly someone receives care, but also on whether the assessment process is delivering the right outcome.
“COTA also remains concerned that there is no clear mechanism for experienced health professionals to override automated recommendations where clinical judgement indicates a different outcome is needed. It’s good to see the Opposition is attempting to address this because change can’t come soon enough.
“When an experienced clinician identifies that an older person’s circumstances require urgent intervention or a higher level of support, there should be a pathway to ensure that expertise is reflected in the final decision.”
Ms Sparrow said greater transparency would also be critical to understanding whether reforms are delivering meaningful improvements in both the Commonwealth Home Support and Support at Home Programs.
“We need more information about waiting times, demand for services, the use of interim packages and whether growth is keeping pace with Australia’s ageing population.
“Older Australians deserve confidence that the system is working to provide people with the right support when they need it.
“There’s been some progress, but it’s clear there’s still a long way to go to ensure Australians get the aged care system everyone needs and deserves. Until people are consistently receiving the right care at the right time, there is more work to do.”
Media contact: Alana Mew, 0419 929 722