Statement attributable to Alex Lynch - Director of Aged and Community Care
Catholic Health Australia welcomed the opportunity to appear before Senators at the Aged Care Services Inquiry, noting that the Inquiry’s main goal to have more home care packages released by the Government has been achieved.
The bipartisan decision to release home care packages sooner was a great outcome of this Inquiry.
The Inquiry noted CHA’s advocacy on the critical issue of insufficient support for care management within the new Aged Care framework.
The decision to reduce care management increases the risks of unplanned hospitalisations and earlier than necessary entry into residential aged care. Catholic providers continue to advocate for care management to be restored to meet the goal of supporting people to age in their own homes.
Catholic providers have a large footprint outside metropolitan Australia and the Inquiry noted that smaller providers, including those who operate in regional, rural and remote communities, are particularly vulnerable to care management caps.
We are also pleased to see that the Inquiry identified issues around the assessment of older Australians’ needs, and the immense challenge of having people assessed and re-assessed in regional areas.
CHA and its members remain committed to the implementation of the new Aged Care Act, which puts the rights of older Australians at the centre of aged care delivery.
We have consistently called for an adequate safety net to ensure that aged care remains accessible for everyone, not just those with the deepest pockets.
We will continue to work constructively with Government on the implementation of the new Act on 1 November.
Notes to editors: Catholic Health Australia (CHA) is Australia’s largest non-government, not-for-profit group of health, community, and aged care providers. Our members operate 80 hospitals in each Australian state and the ACT, providing around 30 per cent of private hospital care and 5 per cent of public hospital care, in addition to extensive community and residential aged care. There are 63 private hospitals operated by CHA members, including St Vincent's, Calvary, Mater, St John of God and Cabrini. CHA members also provide approximately 12 per cent of all aged care facilities across Australia, in addition to around 20 per cent of home care services. 25 per cent of our members’ service provision is regional, rural and remote.
Contact details:
Charlie Moore 0452 606 171