Wealthy to feel taskforce’s aged care costs as best nursing homes rated

Luxury micro towns for the elderly was a solution put to a federal taskforce into aged care, which handed down its report this month, weeks after Queensland’s best nursing homes were named. TABLE: QLD’S NURSING HOMES RATED

Aged care expert Brisbane woman Natasha Chadwick, pictured, is behind a new concept of residential aged care, based on micro-towns complete with their own grocery stores. The innovative concept was discussed as part of a review conducted by a federal aged care taskforce which has made 23 recommendations. Picture: Contributed

Wealthy Australians could end up paying more for aged care after a federal taskforce rejected introducing new taxes to pay for the growing sector, which is increasingly demanding higher levels of luxury.

The long-awaited Final Report of the Aged Care Taskforce was released this month after months of speculation over its contents.

It identified 23 recommendations and considered new ways to fund the sector, improve quality, introduce innovation and keep costs transparent.

The taskforce, headed by Aged Care Minister Anika Wells, recommended that seniors with larger superannuation balances should co-contribute more for their accommodation, meals and everyday living items.

SCROLL TO SEE THE LATEST STAR RATING FOR EVERY AGED CARE FACILITY IN THE COUNTRY

So far, the federal government has confirmed it will not increase taxes or add a new levy to fund aged care, in line with the taskforce’s advice but it is still finalising its response to the other recommendations.

Approved recommendations will be incorporated into the draft new Aged Care Act with more details expected to be announced prior to this year’s federal budget on May 14.

Revolutionising and modernising aged care facilities was a focus for the taskforce, which recommended greater use of “innovative concepts”.

Brisbane aged care industry pioneer Natasha Chadwick has come up with a new concept for nursing homes as communities complete with their own grocery stores and cafes. Picture: NewDirection

Brisbane aged care industry pioneer Natasha Chadwick welcomed the report and said she hoped it would lead to a luxury-style, price-competitive resort-style “micro towns”.

Her NewDirection Care facility at Bellmere, west of Caboolture, is promoted as being a world leader in building an inclusive village-like “Micro Town” community.

Residents live around a town centre, which has a health hub along with cafes, and areas for communal hobbies.

Ms Chadwick, a former member of the Ministerial Dementia Forum Working group and the Aged Care Financing Authority advisory group, founded a revolutionary aged care micro town.

The village has 17 homes which feature an open-plan kitchen furnished with modern appliances, laundry, family dining room and sitting rooms for receiving visitors.

Each house at NewDirection Care’s Bellmere village accommodates seven residents.

Ms Chadwick said aged care centres of the future would be self-contained local communities with their own post office, hair salon, theatres, doctors, cafes and even small grocery stores.

“It’s good that the government and the taskforce wants to support new ways of doing things because Australia needs to adapt to what older people want and need,” she said.

“We need to make sure everyone in the industry is involved, and that care quality stays high.

“One suggestion is to review how we pay for where older people live and we want to encourage different kinds of places.

“Small care providers are good at trying out new things, but they need support to do that because building new aged care places costs money.”

Despite the taskforce’s recommendations, Ms Chadwick said the sector “had a long way to go” to reform and improve aged care services across the nation.

A recent reform introduced in December 2022, was a federal “star rating” system, which allows families to compare aged care facilities.

The latest ratings in Queensland were released in February and showed the state’s ratings for all aged care facilities.

QLD’S BEST AGED CARE FACILITIES

Queensland’s top nursing home and residential aged care facility this year is Southern Cross Care Allora which scored five stars for each of the four rated categories. Picture: Southern Cross Care

Top of the list of Queensland’s 460 ranked aged care facilities in Queensland was Southern Cross Care Allora in the Southern Downs, west of Brisbane. The not-for-profit was awarded an overall five-star rating, scoring top marks for each of the four rated categories of compliance, residents’ experiences, quality measures and staffing.

Peninsula Palms Retirement Village at Rothwell, in Moreton Regional Council, was also awarded the top five-star rating, getting top points for each of the four categories.

Woolloongabba’s Nazareth Residential Aged Care, run by the Nazareth Lutheran Church at South Brisbane also scored a five-star rating but only received four stars in the residents’ experience category as did Bowder Care Centre at Nambour.

Hope Vale Aged Hostel at Hope Vale; Leslie Place Aged Persons Hostel at Killarney, Brighton Health Campus at Brighton and Westhaven Nursing Home in Roma all received five-star ratings in February.

QLD’S LOWEST STAR RATINGS FACILITIES

Caboolture’s Fernhill RSL Care which received the lowest rating this year with one star. Picture Bolton Clarke

At the bottom of the list was the Gold Coast’s Merrimac Park Private Care, which is owned by for-profit Superior Care Group Pty Ltd. It scored the lowest rating of one star with results of one out of five in both the compliance and staffing categories.

Bolton Clarke’s Fernhill RSL Care at Caboolture received a two-star rating with the not-for-profit facility getting below-average results for staffing and residents’ experience.

■ Ratings as of February 2024 are subject to change.

STAR RATINGS GUIDE

★: significant improvement needed.

★★: improvement needed.

★★★: an acceptable quality of care.

★★★★: a good quality of care.

★★★★★: an excellent quality of care.

Ratings can change throughout the year, see how:

Compliance: Based on noncompliance decisions made by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission reported daily.

Residents’ Experience: At least 10 per cent of older Australians living in residential aged care homes are interviewed face-to-face about their overall experience at their residential aged care home by a third-party vendor once a year.

Quality Measures: Based on data from five existing quality indicators (pressure injuries, physical restraint, unplanned weight loss, falls and major injury, and medication management) reported quarterly.

Staffing: The Staffing Rating looks at the amount of care being provided by nursing and personal care staff in an aged care home. It tells if a home is meeting requirements for the total minutes of nursing, personal and care from a registered nurse for each resident.

It is 22 per cent of the overall Star Rating.