We can't discount the fact that we've got an election coming, it will be announced any second now, and at least on this subject, the two majors are putting forward their plans to work towards resolving the issues in the aged care sector.
As Scoot and others have alluded to, this can't be fixed overnight, it can't even be fixed in a single term.
Right off the starting blocks, the Libs are running the show for the last 9 years so the mess we're in now has their fingerprints all over it.
Is that enough to simply assume that Labor will do a better job? No, not at all.
So first, since it's clear not many people haven't read even the summary of the findings from the Royal Commission into aged care, we should start there.
The full report can be found
here, and the list of recommendations
here, but below is a list of the main takeaways:
Quote:1. Australia needs a rights-based aged-care system
In its recommendations, the final report highlights that Australia needs a new Aged Care Act to underpin reform. The new Act should set out the rights of older people, including their entitlement to care and support based on their needs and preferences.
This would be a significant shift away from the current ration-based system, and would bring aged care more in line with the principles of Medicare.
2. The system needs stronger governance
Ineffective governance and weak regulation of aged care must end. The final report calls for much stronger governance, regulation of the quality of care, prudential regulation, and an independent mechanism to set prices.
These changes would ensure the “quasi-market” aged-care system, as commissioner Tony Pagone described it, was much better regulated, holding providers to a higher standard of care, and better able to address any service gaps in the system. We might see the introduction of home care in locations where home-care services were not previously available, for example.
3. We need to improve workforce conditions and capability
The final report makes numerous important recommendations to enhance the capability and work conditions of formal carers. It calls for better wages and a new national registration scheme for all personal care workers, who would be required to have a minimum Certificate III training.
Residential care facilities would need to ensure minimum staff time with residents. By July 1 2022, this would be at least 200 minutes per resident per day for the average resident, with at least 40 minutes of that time with a registered nurse.
4. A better system will cost more
The final report makes a series of complex recommendations about fees and funding, with the commissioners diverging in view as to the specific arrangements. But essentially, the proposed new funding model would provide universal funding for care services, such as nursing.
This means there would be no requirement for aged-care recipients to pay a co-contribution, like public patients in public hospitals. Instead, the expectation is people pay for their ordinary costs of living, such as cleaning, subject to a means test and up to a maximum amount in residential care.
That is a monumental task. But more importantly, many of the above have been chipped away by the current Government in their most recent terms.
There is no escaping that it will take money, and lots of it, to fix the problem. It will take stronger regulation which ultimately means less profit for the private providers as they'll be held to greater scrutiny and accountability levels.
It would also involve working with Unions to help improve conditions for staff which ultimately means better outcomes for those in care.
So, better training for staff, higher staffing levels, better pay, more money spent on the facilities, and an overhaul to the system from a legislative point of view to be being rights-based for those in care.
Every single one of those points is counter to the traditional Liberal-Conservative ideology, and their track record on all of these points, even from expanding the low-skilled migration numbers to further push down wages and standard of care of their last few terms.
We can't look to Labor in what they've done from opposition over the last 9 years since they've had zero power during this time, but all we can do is look at their plan that was mentioned at a very upper level during the budget reply, which included them forcing every aged care facility to have a registered nurse on-site at all hours, hire more carers, set higher standards for meals and fully fund a boost for workers through an appeal to the Fair Work Commission to set higher wages.
It's just a start, once the election has been called I look forward to their fully fleshed out policies (both sides) so we can see not only what steps they'll take, but their timelines and funding.
But so far the Liberal's record and fingerprints all over the current mess puts them at a disadvantage, even though the faithful will still claim Labor are the liars...
It's too early to put my support being either plan, but I know one is certainly closer to the RC recommendations than the other.
More regulation, higher wages, working with unions, an admission the private sector has failed, it doesn't sound very "Liberal" to me.