Policy and Advocacy Aged Care Update October 22

Mental Health Sector Expo  

OTA General Managers Alissa Fotiades and Michelle Oliver represented the OT profession at the Mental Health Sector Expo in Canberra. They used this platform to advocate for key changes that directly impact OTs working in mental health, engaging with parliamentarians and leaders in the sector. 

New staffing quality indicators for aged care 

The Australian Government is set to introduce three new staffing quality indicators to the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program in residential aged care, encompassing allied health, enrolled nursing, and lifestyle assistants. 

OTA actively contributed to the consultation process for developing the allied health indicators, collaborating with consultants, the Australian Health Professionals Alliance (AHPA), and other allied health associations. Details of the final indicators are still forthcoming. 

Providers will begin collecting data for these new indicators on 1 April 2025, with reporting due by 21 July 2025. 

Consultation on Aged Care Act rules 

The Department of Health and Aged Care has initiated consultations with the sector regarding regulations to be established under the new Act.  

DoHAC is planning to release the Rules publicly in stages, with the initial release featuring the service list. This outlines the care and services that will be available to older Australians under the new legislation.

You can provide your feedback on the service list here. Submissions close 31 October 2024.

IHACPA consultation on Support at Home Pricing 

IHACPA is tasked with providing annual pricing advice to the Minister for unit-based services on the Support at Home service list.  

The new Support at Home program will provide government subsidies for a range of short term and ongoing home care services and supports. The Department of Health and Aged Care intends to set price caps for services available under the Support at Home program.  

The IHACPA pricing advice will include: 

• recommended prices for services on the Support at Home service list 

• prices differentiated by time of delivery (standard business hours and non-standard business hours) and day of delivery (weekdays, Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays) 

• recommended pricing adjustments (if any) for services delivered in rural and remote areas 

• recommended pricing adjustments (if any) for services delivered to people with diverse backgrounds and life experiences, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other groups. 

Prices for services on the Support at Home service list will include all in-scope costs associated with delivering the service such as labour, transport, consumables, and administration. 

OTA is making a submission to this consultation, which closes at 5pm AEDT on Friday 25 October 2024. 

Information on IHACPA’s approach to pricing Support at Home services and consultation questions are available here.