Policy and Advocacy Aged Care Update 24 September

Aged Care Bill

OTA welcomed the introduction of the new Aged Care Bill to Parliament on 12 September. This enables much needed reform to be put in place and better outcomes for older Australians requiring aged care services. We welcome the human rights focus of the new Act, and the improvements to quality and standards of care that will be made possible. The new Act is expected to commence from 1 July 2025.

We particularly welcome confirmation that the Government will pay 100 per cent of clinical care costs, including occupational therapy services in residential care and Support at Home. However, we will be seeking clarification on the definition of clinical care, and advocating to ensure OT services are fully covered.

We also welcome the announced package of reforms for Support at Home which will include:

support for home modifications, with up to $15,000 available for this purpose
dedicated funding for the prescription of aids and equipment
expanded access to restorative support after an illness or injury, through a 12 week program that works with a team of allied health and other professionals.

More detail is expected in coming weeks on the implementation of Support at Home. Information and upcoming and recent webinars are available on the DOHA website.

Senate Committee Inquiry on the Aged Care Bill

The Aged Care Bill has been referred to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report. Submissions are currently being accepted until 30 September. More information is available here.

The Department of Health and Aged Care is expected to also seek feedback on some of the rules that will sit under the new law.

We will work with stakeholders and the Department of Health to ensure that the New Aged Care Act meets the needs of older Australians requiring aged care services.

Questions on Notice to Minister for Aged Care

Last week Rebekha Sharkie MP, Independent Member for Mayo and Co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Aged Care placed questions on the Notice Paper to the Minister for Aged Care, Hon Anika Wells. The questions focussed on what the Government intends to do about the gap in allied health care services for older Australians receiving aged care. We will monitor the responses of the Minister.

IHACPA Releases 2024-25 Residential Aged Care Pricing Advice

The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) has released its Residential Aged Care Pricing Advice 2024–25. This advice informs Australian Government decisions on residential aged care funding from 1 October 2024.

The advice includes:

the recommended Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) price
recommended AN-ACC price weights
recommended adjustments to the base care tariff categories
information on the gap between the costs of delivering required hotel services and specific types of revenue received.

It considers a variety of data sources to provide a better understanding of the costs associated with the care and care related services provided, including input from aged care stakeholders through an annual public consultation. OTA provided input through a submission by AHPA for the 2024-25 advice.

OTA will continue to update members in this space.