Aged Care Royal Commission told entire system needs overhaul
The 124 recommendations proposed at the aged care royal commission have revealed the entire system must be overhauled to protect our most vulnerable citizens.
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The aged care system should be completely overhauled and a new one created to enshrine the right of elderly Australians to quality, safe and timely care, according to lawyers assisting the royal commission.
Among 124 recommendations proposed by senior counsel on Thursday were mandated staff ratios in nursing homes and a “new and expanded serious incident reporting scheme” for family and friends to report abuse and neglect concerns.
Senior counsel Peter Gray QC and Peter Rozen QC also recommended:
AN “urgent review” of care quality standards be completed before next July.
IMPROVED quality requirements include more detail about infection control, falls prevention, dementia care and nutrition.
A NEW watchdog be given more teeth and function independently of the Aged Care Minister and the federal Department of Health.
Counsel assisting also recommended a new Aged Care Act to ensure older people were treated as individuals and provided with support that “promotes their dignity and respects them as equal citizens”.
The royal commission was also told the federal government needs to clear the home care package waitlist within a year after about 30,000 Australians died waiting over the past two years.
On the second last day of hearings for the two-year commission, Mr Rozen said there were almost 50 sexual assaults in residential care every week.
“This is a national shame,” he said.
Scott Morrison on Thursday said he knew there would be “shocking news” out of the aged care probe.
“I knew that Australians would have to prepare themselves,” the Prime Minister said.
Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said the government would act on the final recommendations when the report is handed down in February next year.
“The Australian Government is listening, acting and working to ensure older Australians are kept safe and quality of care is retained as the important work of the royal commission continues,” he said.
The recommendations come less than a month after royal commissioners Tony Pagone and Lynelle Briggs handed down their special COVID report.
The probe found the federal government had an “insufficient” plan to protect the elderly and vulnerable during the pandemic.
It also said lessons learned in major outbreaks in NSW were not clearly communicated to protect other states before Victoria’s deadly second wave, where more than 650 people have died from the virus.
Opposition ageing spokeswoman Julie Collins said it was up to the federal government to act quickly.
“The devastating impact of COVID-19 has highlighted the completely unacceptable state of our nation’s aged care system,” she said.
“It is Scott Morrison’s responsibility to do everything he can to protect older Australians and fix our nation’s broken aged care system.”
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