Prime Minister to announce royal commission into problems besetting aged care industry
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison will announce a royal commission into the troubled aged-care sector, saying he can no longer ignore the alarming number of operators flouting the law and putting lives at risk.
NSW
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AGED-care providers have been placed on notice: Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce a royal commission into the troubled sector, saying he can no longer ignore the alarming number of operators flouting the law and putting lives at risk.
The federal government has been under pressure to crack down on aged care providers after a series of scandals exposed cases of neglect, cost-cutting, staff shortages and abuse.
New government data has revealed there was 177 per cent jump in the number of aged-care homes where a “serious risk” to residents had been identified in the past financial year. There was also a 292 per cent jump in the number of facilities refusing to comply with rules.
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Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Morrison said he was “troubled” by the briefings he had received since taking the top job last month.
“Walking by these statistics was not possible,” he said. “I want to be satisfied, I want to know how widespread it is.”
The Coalition will spend the coming weeks consulting with stakeholders before announcing the terms of reference. But The Sunday Telegraph understands the royal commission will focus on the quality of care provided in private and government-run aged care homes.
The inquiry will also hear from young Australians with disabilities living in nursing homes.
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It is also expected to investigate how Australia can deal with the increasing number of Australians suffering dementia, and the challenges of providing services to elderly Australians in remote and rural areas.
Recently, privately owned aged-care facilities worth billions of dollars have come under fire for putting profit ahead of patients.
In an effort to cut costs, some providers were recently accused of dumping sick residents in hospital emergency departments to avoid rostering nurses on night shifts, despite receiving millions in government subsidies.
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But new government data shows that the surging numbers of complaints are not restricted to any one part of the aged-care sector, profit or not-for-profit.
The decision to hold a royal commission into aged care was also triggered by the Oakden nursing home scandal in South Australia, where elderly dementia patients at a government-run facility were abused and neglected over a 10-year period.
Following the revelations, the Coalition ramped up its checks and sanctions, resulting in the closure of almost one aged care service per month.
“As a community we expect high standards for the quality and safety of aged-care services,” Mr Morrison said.
The Prime Minister said he was lucky that his parents John and Marion were still living in their family home, where his mother cares for his father due to recent ill health.
He said he wanted all Australians facing the difficult decision to send a family member into care to have confidence in the system.
“Whenever you make that decision, you want to be confident as a husband, wife or partner … that it’s going to be OK,” he said. “They are trusting you 100 per cent that you are making the right decisions for them.
“That’s a huge responsibility and people feel that really deeply.”
Today’s announcement comes less than a week after Mr Morrison told Parliament he regretted his strong opposition to the royal commission into the banking sector.
Speaking from Sydney yesterday, the Prime Minister said as well as exposing significant misconduct, the banking royal commission was “assisting people in coming to terms with what has happened”.
The announcement comes ahead of a television investigation into the aged-care sector, due to air this week, but the government denied this was a trigger, insisting the royal commission launch was ticked off at a meeting of federal Cabinet one week ago.
In 2010, a reporter from The Sunday Telegraph undertook voluntary care work inside two Sydney nursing homes. What she witnessed over a three-week period was horrific — frail, elderly residents being mistreated and severe lapses of hygiene.
We received a deluge of letters with similarly awful stories or demands for action. But it wasn’t enough to galvanise the then-Labor government into launching a meaningful response.
The Coalition will hope the royal commission pledge helps its prospects as MPs head back to Canberra today for another sitting week which is expected to be overshadowed by a backbench rebellion that could force Peter Dutton to face the High Court.
Mr Morrison said funding for aged care was at “record levels” reaching $18.6 billion in 2017-18 alone.
annika.smethurst@news.com.au
FUTURE ‘LOOKS BRIGHT’
PETER McAlpin watched his in-laws go through the aged-care system some years ago so he has welcomed the announcement of a royal commission into the sector.
But the real issue for Mr McAlpin, 61, and his wife Julie, 56, was avoiding retirement altogether.
“Obviously (it) is suitable for some, but not everybody,” he said, adding that retraining in the workplace was something the government should be considering.
“There is an element of ageism in the workplace,” he said while enjoying the sun at Bronte Beach yesterday.
“While you might be encouraged to work longer by the government, you’re not always (the) first person to be chosen to do things (at work).”