The 10-month inquiry – which were completed by Commissioners the late Richard Tracey AM, RFD, QC (pictured above left) and Lynelle Briggs AO (pictured above right) – has found Australia’s aged care system is “woefully inadequate” and too often fails to meet the needs of older people.
Titled ‘Neglect’, the three volumes – which were delivered to the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) before being released late yesterday afternoon – covers most, but not all of the Commission’s work up until September – and say the system is falling far short of community expectations.
“The neglect that we have found in this Royal Commission, to date, is far from the best that can be done. Rather, it is a sad and shocking system that diminishes Australia as a nation,” the Commissioners write.
The 120,000-strong waiting list for Home Care Packages (HCPs) to help people stay living at home comes in for criticism.
“It is shocking that the express wishes of older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, with the supports they need, is downplayed with an expectation that they will manage. It is unsafe practice. It is neglect.”
Residential care is also highlighted as a major challenge, with the Commissioners singling out the need to make the transition into care less traumatic for residents.
“It will involve finding a way to bring the outside world into residential care homes, or taking those in care out,” they state. “We will delve deeply into these matters in our Final Report. In the meantime, we encourage the Australian community and the aged care sector to work with people in care to harness their ideas and to develop solutions on the ground.”
Poor wound care, poor continence management, “dreadful” food, high numbers of assaults, common use of physical restraints, widespread overprescribing and inadequate palliative care are also highlighted as major quality and safety issues.
We agree that the findings are a sad reflection on the Australian system – but there is encouraging news.
The Commissioners promise that the Final Report – due for release in November 2020 – will recommend a complete transformation of the system.
“We will chart a new direction for the sector, bringing a clear sense of purpose and of quality, and a renewed focus on compassion and kindness.”
And while there are no specific recommendations, there are three areas identified for immediate action now:
- to provide more Home Care Packages to reduce the waiting list for higher level care at home;
- to respond to the significant over-reliance on chemical restraint in aged care, including through the seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement; and
- to stop the flow of younger people with a disability going into aged care and speed up the process of getting out those young people who are already in aged care.
We support all these measures – and hope the Government will do the same.
You can download the Interim Report here.
