Changes in Aged Care in Perth, Australia

Aged care in Perth is undergoing significant changes aimed at improving the quality of care for older people. These changes, part of the Australian Government’s aged care reforms, respond to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The reforms focus on delivering high quality, person centred care where and when it is needed.

Key Reforms in Aged Care

24/7 Registered Nurse Responsibility

One of the critical changes is the introduction of a 24/7 registered nurse responsibility. This requirement ensures that a registered nurse is on-site and on duty in all aged care homes around the clock. Having a registered nurse available 24/7 is crucial for several reasons:

Immediate Medical Attention: With a registered nurse always on-site, residents can receive immediate medical attention for any health issues, reducing the risk of complications.
Enhanced Clinical Care: Registered nurses bring a high level of expertise and can manage complex health conditions, administer medications, and perform necessary medical procedures.
Improved Health Outcomes: Continuous nursing care helps in early detection and timely intervention of health problems, leading to better health outcomes for residents.
Peace of Mind for Families: Knowing that a registered nurse is always present provides reassurance to families that their loved ones are in capable hands.

Mandatory Care Minutes

The reforms introduce a sector average of 200 mandatory care minutes per resident per day, which will increase to 215 minutes from 1 October 2024. This policy ensures that residents receive adequate clinical and personal care daily, improving their overall well-being and quality of life. Key aspects of this change include:

Personalised Care: Increased care minutes allow staff to spend more time addressing the individual needs of each resident, including personal hygiene, mobility assistance, and emotional support.
Better Health Monitoring: More care time means more frequent health monitoring, which can help in early detection of potential health issues.
Enhanced Quality of Life: By ensuring that residents receive sufficient attention and care, their overall quality of life is significantly improved.

Food, Nutrition, and Dining Hotline

A new Food, Nutrition, and Dining Hotline has been established, allowing older people in aged care homes, their families, and carers to ask questions, get advice, and make complaints about their food. This initiative aims to improve the nutritional standards and dining experiences in aged care facilities by:

Addressing Concerns: The hotline provides a direct channel for residents and their families to voice concerns about food quality and receive prompt responses.
Improving Standards: Feedback gathered through the hotline can be used to make improvements in meal planning, preparation, and service, ensuring that residents receive nutritious and enjoyable meals.
Enhancing Satisfaction: By actively involving residents and their families in the conversation about food, facilities can better meet their expectations and preferences, leading to higher satisfaction levels.

Star Ratings System

To help older people and their families make informed choices, the government is introducing Star Ratings for aged care homes. These ratings will provide clear, comparable information about the quality of care provided by different facilities. The benefits of this system include:

Informed Decision-Making: Star Ratings allow prospective residents and their families to compare facilities based on key quality metrics, helping them make better-informed decisions.
Transparency and Accountability: By publicly displaying the quality ratings of facilities, the system promotes transparency and holds aged care providers accountable for maintaining high standards.
Encouraging Improvement: Facilities will be motivated to improve their services and achieve higher ratings, fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the aged care sector.

Wage Increases for Aged Care Workers

Recognising the value of aged care workers and the important work they do, the government is funding a 15% wage rise for more than 250,000 aged care workers. This measure aims to attract and retain skilled professionals in the aged care sector. The wage increase has several benefits:

Attracting Talent: Higher wages make the aged care sector more competitive, attracting skilled professionals who might otherwise choose different healthcare fields.
Retaining Staff: Competitive pay helps retain experienced workers, reducing turnover and ensuring continuity of care for residents.
Motivating Workforce: Better compensation can improve job satisfaction and morale among aged care workers, leading to better care and services.
Quality of Care: Skilled and motivated workers are crucial for delivering high-quality, person-centred care, directly benefiting the residents.

Senior residents at Hellenic aged care facility

Home Care Package Fee Caps

To improve transparency and accountability in home care pricing, the government is capping care management and package management fees for Home Care Packages at 20% and 15% of the respective package levels. This change ensures that more funds are directed towards direct care services for older people. Key aspects include:

Increased Funding for Care: By capping fees, a larger portion of the Home Care Package funding goes directly to providing care services rather than administrative costs.
Transparency in Pricing: Clear limits on management fees make it easier for older people and their families to understand and compare the costs of different home care providers.
Accountability: Providers are held accountable for how they allocate funds, ensuring that more resources are dedicated to the care and support of older people.

Face-to-Face Support

Services Australia service centres will now offer face-to-face support to help older people, their families, and carers access the aged care system. This initiative provides personalised assistance to navigate the complexities of aged care services. The benefits of this support include:

Personalised Assistance: Older people and their families can receive tailored advice and support based on their specific needs and circumstances.
Navigating Complexities: The aged care system can be complicated, and face-to-face support helps individuals understand their options and make informed decisions.
Enhanced Access: Providing in-person support makes aged care services more accessible, particularly for those who may have difficulty using online or phone-based services.

Specialisations on My Aged Care

The government is ensuring that specialisations listed on My Aged Care are independently verified. This helps older people from diverse groups choose an aged care provider that best suits their needs, ensuring culturally appropriate and specialised care. Key points include:

Verification of Specialisations: Independent verification ensures that providers genuinely offer the specialised services they claim, maintaining high standards of care.
Culturally Appropriate Care: Verification helps older people from diverse cultural backgrounds find providers that can meet their specific cultural, linguistic, and personal needs.
Informed Choices: Accurate information on specialisations enables older people and their families to make well-informed decisions about their care options.

National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program

The National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (NQIP) is a critical component of the Australian Government’s efforts to enhance the quality of aged care services. This program aims to provide transparent and comprehensive data on the performance of aged care facilities, enabling continuous improvement and accountability within the sector.

Expansion of Quality Indicators

The NQIP is expanding to include six additional quality indicators. These new indicators are designed to provide a more holistic view of the care provided to residents in aged care facilities. The additional indicators include:

Consumer Experience: This indicator measures the satisfaction levels of residents and their families with the care and services provided. It includes aspects such as respect, communication, and responsiveness of the staff.
Quality of Life: This indicator assesses the overall well-being and quality of life of residents. It covers areas such as physical health, emotional well-being, social interactions, and personal autonomy.
Pressure Injuries: Monitoring the incidence and management of pressure injuries (bedsores) among residents. This is crucial for understanding how well facilities prevent and treat these conditions.
Physical Restraint: Tracking the use of physical restraints within aged care facilities. The goal is to minimise the use of restraints and promote alternative, less intrusive methods of ensuring resident safety.
Unplanned Weight Loss: Measuring the occurrence of unplanned weight loss among residents, which can indicate issues with nutrition and overall health care.
Falls and Major Injury: Recording the frequency and severity of falls among residents, which helps in evaluating the effectiveness of fall prevention programs and interventions.

Benefits of the Expanded Quality Indicators

The inclusion of these additional indicators offers several benefits:

Enhanced Transparency: By providing detailed data on various aspects of care, the NQIP allows families, carers, and the public to make informed decisions about aged care facilities. This transparency promotes trust and confidence in the aged care system.
Improved Care Quality: Facilities can use the data from these indicators to identify areas for improvement and implement targeted strategies to enhance care quality. Continuous monitoring and reporting help maintain high standards of care.
Better Resident Outcomes: Focusing on consumer experience and quality of life ensures that the care provided is resident-centred. This approach prioritises the physical, emotional, and social well-being of residents, leading to better health outcomes and overall satisfaction.
Regulatory Oversight: The expanded indicators provide regulators with a comprehensive tool to monitor and assess the performance of aged care facilities. This oversight helps ensure compliance with quality standards and promotes accountability.

Implementation and Reporting

Aged care facilities are required to collect and report data on these quality indicators regularly. The data is then analysed and published, providing a clear picture of the performance of each facility. This process encourages continuous improvement and supports facilities in their efforts to deliver high-quality care. The key aspects of implementation and reporting include:

Regular Data Collection: Facilities must systematically gather data on the specified quality indicators, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information.
Standardised Reporting: The use of standardised reporting formats helps in maintaining consistency and reliability of the data across different facilities.
Public Transparency: The analysed data is made publicly available, offering transparency about the quality of care provided by each facility. This transparency helps residents and their families make informed choices.
Benchmarking and Comparisons: Published data allows for benchmarking against other facilities, promoting a culture of continuous improvement as facilities strive to meet and exceed standards.
Regulatory Oversight: Regular reporting ensures that facilities remain compliant with regulatory requirements and helps in identifying areas where additional oversight or intervention may be necessary.
Feedback Loop: The reporting process provides valuable feedback to facilities, enabling them to identify strengths and areas for improvement, and to implement targeted strategies to enhance care quality.

Code of Conduct for Aged Care

A new Code of Conduct for Aged Care has been introduced to ensure that services are delivered to older people in a safe, competent, and respectful manner. This code sets clear expectations for the behaviour and practices of aged care providers and their staff. Key components of the Code of Conduct include:

Safety: Providers must ensure that all care practices are safe and do not pose any harm to residents. This includes maintaining safe environments, using safe equipment, and following best practices in care delivery.
Competence: Staff must possess the necessary skills, knowledge, and qualifications to perform their duties effectively. Ongoing training and professional development are essential to maintain high standards of care.
Respect: Providers and staff must treat all residents with dignity and respect, acknowledging their individual preferences, cultural backgrounds, and personal histories. Respectful interactions foster a positive care environment and enhance residents’ quality of life.
Accountability: The Code of Conduct holds providers and their staff accountable for their actions and decisions. Accountability measures include clear reporting lines, documented care plans, and mechanisms for addressing complaints and grievances.
Transparency: Clear communication with residents and their families about care plans, treatment options, and facility policies is crucial. Transparency builds trust and ensures that residents and their families are fully informed about their care.
Ethical Behaviour: Providers and staff are expected to adhere to high ethical standards, including honesty, integrity, and fairness in all interactions and decisions.
Cultural Sensitivity: Recognising and respecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of residents is essential. The Code of Conduct promotes culturally sensitive care practices that cater to the specific needs and preferences of each resident.

Conclusion

The changes in aged care in Perth, part of the broader Australian Government reforms, are designed to enhance the quality, transparency, and accountability of aged care services. These reforms aim to ensure that older people receive high-quality, person-centred care that meets their clinical, personal, and social needs. By implementing these changes, the government is committed to creating a better, more supportive aged care system for the future.

Hellenic Aged Care stands out as the best aged care facility in Perth, consistently delivering exceptional care and support to its residents. By embracing these reforms, Hellenic Aged Care continues to lead the way in providing top-tier, compassionate care, ensuring the highest standards for its community.