Acting Inspector-General of Aged Care addresses government response to Royal Commission

Key points:

• The Office of the Acting Inspector-General of Aged Care has released a report assessing the government’s impact on 148 recommendations provided by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
• Acting Inspector-General Ian Yates highlighted how the government has addressed recommendations such as improving aged care training and professional development
• With the new Aged Care Act now delayed until July 2025, Inspector-General Yates wrote that it’s ‘critical that there [will] be no further delays in the commencement of the new Act’

The Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care recently released the 2024 Progress Report: Implementation of the Recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

This report outlines how the government has acted on recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety in its final report from 2021.

More than 4.2 million Australians are estimated to be aged 65 years or older, with the number of Australians over the age of 85 years set to double by 2042.

Mr Ian Yates, the Acting Inspector-General of Aged Care, has made observations based on the government’s response to the 148 recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

The Inspector-General praised the government for some aspects regarding visible progress made in aged care, including:

• funding ongoing professional development of the aged care workforce;
• creating a minimum staff time standard in aged care homes; and
• increasing the value placed on the experiences of people receiving aged care.

The Royal Commission into Aged Care released its final report on March 1, 2021, with recommendations for aims regarding a new Aged Care Act. 

Some of the recommendations included:

• replacing the Aged Care Act 1997 no later than July 1, 2023;
• creating a strategy that ensures long-term support for older Australians; and
• establishing the Aged Care Council of Elders.

The complete list of recommendations is available in the final report from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Royal Commission.

While the Australian Government has made progress, regarding some of the Royal Commission’s recommendations, concerns have still been raised for outstanding issues. 

The Inspector-General outlined several recommendations for improvement in the aged care sector such as:

• creating an aged care system whereby older Australians are entitled to ‘all forms of support and care an individual is assessed as needing;’
• ensuring sector and community views are included when the new Aged Care Act is finalised;
• allocating sufficient funds for home care demand; and
• assessing if the remaining Royal Commission’s guidelines will be actioned by January 1, 2025.

However, the Inspector-General wrote that it’s ‘critical that there [will] be no further delays in the commencement of the new Act.’

According to the Parliament of Australia, the most recent information indicates that the new Aged Care Act will commence in July 2025. However, the start date had previously been set for July 1, 2024. 

Approximately 213,000 older Australians receive aged care services at home according to recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Council on the Ageing Australia Chief Executive Officer Patricia Sparrow commented previously on the delay in the new Aged Care Act and its potentially negative impact on older Australians.

“Older Australians want to get aged care set up right now and into the future, but it doesn’t mean we need to move at a glacial pace,” she said.

“The idea of pushing back this vital legislation to as late as July 2025 is simply unacceptable.”

Read more about the new Aged Care Act delay in this article: Aged Care Act delayed — who will be impacted?

Acting Inspector-General Yates commented previously on the purpose of the Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care and how releasing these reports can benefit Australians. 

“Our role is to review the aged care system with a focus on how it works and importantly, areas that need critical improvement. We do this work as a standalone agency, independent of other government departments and agencies,” he said.

“Our independence gives us the freedom to complete reviews without influence or bias. This means the information we gather and reports we make to parliament help make the aged care system more accountable and transparent.”

The full report and a summary are available on the Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care website. Alternatively, the easy-to-read version of the report is also available online. 

What are your thoughts on the recently released report from the Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care?

Let the team at Talking Aged Care know on social media. 

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