The New Aged Care Act is the Federal Government’s response to the findings and recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Originally due on 1 July, it will now come into effect on 1 November.
The Government states that the new Aged Care Act ‘puts you at the centre of your aged care’. The illustration below (from https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/aged-care-act/about) shows the key elements of the new Act, their objectives and how they work together:
The New Aged Care Act will:
* Introduce a Statement of Rights for older people receiving residential aged care or home care to embed the protection of the older person’s rights into all aspects of care and service delivery’ – this replaces the previous ‘Charter of Aged Care Rights’,
* Launch the ‘Support at Home Program’ which will replace the Home Care Package Program from 1 November,
* Give stronger powers to the regulator, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC),
* Introduce a new regulatory model that will change the way the aged care sector operates, with a 3-year accreditation cycle across all services of a provider at the same time,
* Introduce strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, with Food and Nutrition added as Standard 6, and an increased focus on person-led care, meeting the needs of older people with
specific needs, and ensuring culturally-safe, trauma-aware and healing-informed care,
* Give older people and their supporters a greater say and a more independent voice about the care and services they receive,
* Provide protections to those who speak up when they are not satisfied, and
* Better equip providers to handle complaints effectively.
‘No Worse Off Principle’
With the introduction of the new Aged Care Act, there will be changes to funding contributions from service users. A transitional ‘no worse off principle’ will apply to current residential aged care clients and home care clients.
For residential care, the principle applies to people already in residential aged care on 31 October 2025, while for home care, this principle ensures that existing clients, and those approved for a package at 12 September 2024, and those on the National Priority System, do not pay higher contributions than they pay in the current Home Care Package Program (HCPP).
New ‘Registered Supporter’ Role
With the new Act, the role of ‘Registered Supporter’ is being introduced.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety noted the importance of supported decision-making to ensure older people have control and choice over their own life and care.
The new Act puts the rights of older people first and a key change is that every older person is presumed to have the ability to make decisions.
Some older people may want or need support to make decisions, and the new Act ensures that they can choose who can support them with decision-making. These people can become a registered supporter.
Becoming a registered supporter does not provide a person with decision-making authority for the older person. Rather, a registered supporter provides support to the older people to help them make and
communicate their own decisions in aged care.
My Health Record
‘My Health Record’ is the Government’s summary of our personal health information, stored online.
You can access and share your health information, safely and securely with authorised practitioners, such as doctors, hospital staff, and clinical staff in aged care.
This is very helpful for aged care residents and home care clients as it ensures that the practitioners treating you have accurate and up-to-date health information about you.
Every Australian who has EITHER a Medicare care OR a DVA Gold, White or Orange Card, automatically has a My Health Record – UNLESS you have previously opted out. (If so, you can register again.)
Switching on this Feature at Vasey RSL Care
In October, we will be ‘switching on’ the system so that the My Health Record information becomes available in our own systems so our clinical staff have access to it when needed (unless you have previously opted out).
Note: you can choose to opt out at any time. To do so, you will need to log into your MyGov account and cancel your My Health Record. Note that the information will be permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. If you opt in again in future, the information stored will be from that date onwards only.
Statement of Rights
New Regulatory Model
Strengthened Standards
Weekly Bulletin for our Aged Care Community
From 22 September, we will be providing a weekly bulletin for our residential aged care community and our home care clients providing information on various aspects of the New Act. Please look out for these Bulletins.