In our submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care on Revised Aged Care Quality Standards, AHPA welcomed some of the proposed changes to the aged care quality standards but also highlighted several concerns our members have.
Many of the proposed Quality Standards do not provide sufficient level of detail to set clear targets for provider compliance and regulation, particularly regarding the roles of allied health in aged care. Our submission warned these major flaws are likely to, at best, fail to address, and at worse, exacerbate, the existing problems in the aged care system.
There is also an almost complete absence from the Quality Standards of any commitment to reablement, restoration or long-term maintenance of capacity, despite recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (‘Royal Commission’). Two significant issues our submission identified are the lack of Government commitment to any enforceable targets for allied health provision, and the failure of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (‘Commission’) to act as a strong and effective quality regulator.