This week, the Morrison Government delivered its response to the Royal Commission’s special report into Australia’s aged care COVID outbreaks – just ahead of the 1 December deadline set by the Commissioners for the Government to report to Parliament.
As we covered here in October, the Royal Commission made six recommendations, including extra staffing to allow more visitors to aged care homes; improved access to allied health and mental health services for aged care residents’ improved infection control training and procedures; and a national aged care plan for COVID-19 – which the Government accepted.
Funding for mental health, allied health and infection control
The new package provides funding to match these measures, including:
- $35.5 million to provide access to Medicare subsidised individual psychological services to aged care residents;
- $12.1 million for additional individual allied health sessions under Medicare chronic disease management plans;
- $15.7 million for allied health group services for residents living in facilities affected by COVID-19 outbreaks;
- $57.8 million to fund jurisdictions to support Infection Prevention and Control training within facilities and;
- And another $11.1 million toward the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) to investigate major incidents in residential care which is due to launch on 1 April 2021.
The response maintains however that the Government already had a national aged care COVID plan – and its response to the pandemic in our aged care homes is over $1.7 billion.
The Counsel Assisting had argued the Government didn’t have a plan during the Royal Commission’s hearings into aged care outbreaks – a claim the Government rejected.
But many said the new measures and funding won’t go far to change the fundamental issues facing the sector.
“Too little, too late”?
The unions argued the Government’s response won’t address issues of staffing, pay and transparency in aged care.
Labor’s Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors, Julie Collins also said the response was “too little, too late”.
“The Government’s response makes it clear it has failed and is yet to fully implement all the recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission’s special report,” she stated.
However, while it is tempting to criticise the Government for not providing more assistance to the sector, it is important to remember that this response is only intended to deal with the issues stemming from the pandemic.
Better training and wages and increased transparency for older Australians and their families is needed – but it will be part of the Government’s response to the Royal Commission.
We will all have to wait for the Commissioners to hand in their Final Report on 26 February 2021 for the real change to begin.
