AGED CARE REFORMS
& TRANSITION NEWS
Upcoming Star Ratings
The star ratings will be introduced from December 2022. This rating of between 1 and 5 stars for every residential aged care provider in Australia indicates the residents’ experience, service compliance, care minutes and quality of each provider. The Australian Government has assured that providers will be able to see their ratings prior to the ratings being made public on the My Aged Care website. This will not allow you time to change the rating, but will rather serve as a preview.
Serious Incident Response Scheme Extended
From 1 December 2022, the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) will be extended to home care and flexible care delivered at home or in the community, such as Home Care Packages, Commonwealth Home Support Programmes (CHSP), Transition Care Program services, and more. This information is dependent on the finalisation of the exposed draft subordinate legislation, namely the exposure draft and explanatory statement of the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Incident Management and Reporting) Instrument 2022.
Read the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Incident Management and Reporting) Instrument 2022 exposure draft and explanatory statement
More information
Transition Care Services to be Regulated from 1 December
Transition care is classified as flexible aged care for people to recover after a hospital stay and transition into residential, home-based and/or community settings. This care can last up to 12 weeks. New regulation will be introduced from 1 December 2022 where regulatory functions will move to the Commission. This will allow the Commission to undertake quality reviews of these services, and oversee delivery of this type of care. The amendments do not cover transition care provided in hospitals or in other non-hospital facilities or community services.
Aged Care Consultations
A reminder to check the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Consultation Hub for any opportunities to participate in upcoming consultations.
Webinar Recording: Reforming In-Home Aged Care Update
When: 7 December 2022, 2.00pm-4.00pm
Where: Online
How much: Free
This webinar will provide the sector with updates on the in-home aged care reforms, and will include feedback given to the department in response to the in-home aged care discussion paper. The future direction of the reforms will also be discussed. A recording of this webinar will be made available on the department’s website by 16 December 2022.
In-Home Aged Care Resources
The Department of Health and Aged Care has a number of resources available relating to the reforms to in-home care. These resources detail the changes to in-home aged care, provide a factsheet to service providers on preparing for the new program, provide a translated summary of the discussion paper, and more.
Webinar:Â Aged care reforms update: what it means to you
When: 6 December 2022, 11.30am-12.30pm
Where: Online
How much: Free
This webinar provides updates and information on the Serious Incident Reporting Scheme (SIRS), code of conduct, star ratings, care minutes, and the role of consumer advisory groups.
