Royal Commission to investigate aged care failings – but needs to provide solutions too

Like many, we were deeply affected by the stories presented in Monday’s Four Corners investigation into aged care. 

But I believe many will agree with me when I say that the cases shown reflect the ongoing challenge of providing care in a chronically under-funded system. 

The sad reality is that aged care funding has not kept up with demand – and that’s before the Coalition stripped $1.2 billion in funding from the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) in 2016. 

The result? Over 40 per cent of aged care facilities are now making a loss according to aged care accountants StewartBrown. 

We have 3,223 aged care providers employing over 366,000 people – around three per cent of Australia’s total workforce. Overall, more than 1.3 million people use or access some form of aged care including home care and community care, many with complex health needs. Around 52 per cent of aged care residents are living with dementia. 

It’s clear from the Four Corners program – and our own research – that the system is not working. The Government has already taken pre-emptive action, announcing a Royal Commission last Sunday. 

We welcome the opportunity for residents, families and providers to share their stories and the public profile that this will bring to the problems in the sector. 

But we – and many Australians who wrote into newspapers and called into radio stations this week – worry that the Commission will not have the time and resources to canvas everything it should cover. 

While the terms of reference for the Commission have not been set, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it will look at the quality of care provided to older Australians – and the extent of substandard care; supporting people with dementia and disabilities living in aged care; and the challenges of delivering future aged care services, especially in rural, regional and remote areas – a wide range of issues. 

Sector already under scrutiny 

A point missed by many in the media this week is that the sector has already gone through over a dozen Government inquiries and reviews over the last few years looking at issues including quality of care, workforce and regulatory processes. 

How many of the recommendations from these have actually been implemented? 

We already know why the sector is not working – not enough staff and lower-paid roles. Real cracks are occurring in a system that’s at breaking point – malnutrition, overmedication, neglect, abuse, the list goes on.  

While the Commission will help to outline areas for reform, this needs to be matched by action from our politicians that focuses on the long-term and putting in place any recommendations – including those made in previous inquiries. 

One of the Four Corners stories that really stood out for me was the care worker who had residents asking her to sit with them longer – but had to turn away to keep up with her workload. 

It’s called quality time. 

The fact is we have many amazing aged care workers in this country who are going out every day to care for our loved ones – the majority of whom are receiving quality care, another point made in many of the comments I read this week. 

We know that workers need more time to do their jobs properly and give residents the attention and support they deserve. 

But that can only come from better funding, training and management systems – and that means paying more for care and having the regulations in place to support staff and providers. 

The Government can’t pay for it all. If we want the best system, we will need to pay for it. 

At the moment for residential care, around 40 per cent and in some cases up to 60 per cent of residents pay nothing but 85 per cent of their pension for instance. 

Let’s hope the Commission asks the hard questions. 

The Government is asking the community to have their say on the Commission’s terms of reference until 25 September.  

We would urge everyone to give their feedback below. 

https://agedcare.health.gov.au/announcement-of-royal-commission-into-aged-care-quality-and-safety 

https://consultations.health.gov.au/ 

https://www.agedcare101.com.au/contributors/annie-donaldson

https://www.agedcare101.com.au/contributors/jill-donaldson-care