The Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt has announced a review of the registration requirements for providers who offer Home Care Packages (HCPs) after three providers were slapped with sanctions in the past 12 months.
Two Adelaide-based providers and one Sydney-based one have had their funding withdrawn for six months – another 14 have also been issued with non-compliance notices since July 2018.
Minister Wyatt says he is concerned some providers are not meeting standards.
Add in reports of price ‘gouging’ and pushy sales techniques and it seems unsurprising the Government has launched a review.
So, should you be worried about the quality of home care services – and being ‘ripped off’?
Providers monitored to meet standards
Certainly, we have heard cases of poor-quality care and home care recipients paying big case management and exit fees and this is not acceptable.
The good news is the majority of home care providers are doing the right thing.
They are subject to the same accreditation standards and site visits as aged care operators – which is why these operators have been sanctioned.
Under the new Single Quality Standards, which all providers must transition to by 1 July this year, home care providers – just like those in aged care – must also prove their services are safe and focused on consumers and their families.
And despite recent stories about excessive fees, the average administration fee has actually dropped to around 15 per cent – from 30 to 40 per cent two years ago – according to a survey of private and not-for-profit home care providers released last November. The average case management fee is now 11.25 per cent.
Providers are also now required to publish their prices on the Government’s MyAgedCare website – so you can check their prices before you sign an agreement.
Waiting lists still over-stretched
Of course, these changes won’t mean much if you are still waiting to be approved for a Home Care Package (HCP) – there are now over 126,000 people on the list.
Even with an extra 10,000 packages released just before Christmas, the average waiting time for higher-level packages is still over 12 months.
This is not going to be resolved anytime soon – instead it will take a re-think of how we fund aged care in Australia, and what we are willing to pay for safe, quality services.
We do expect the upcoming Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to canvas the issue – and recommend more changes to help Australians already using home care services and those who will rely on them in the future.
This can only be a good thing. With more of us choosing to stay at home as we get older, it’s too important not to get right.
You can find more information about choosing the right provider here and search for providers on agedcare101 here.
If you are concerned about what you or a family member are being charged for home care services, you can contact the independent Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission here or on 1800 951 822.
