The Senate References Committee on Community Affairs has released its report on Aged Care Service Delivery, and the APA is closely monitoring the outcomes.
We welcome the report and commend the committee for their dedicated work in addressing the urgent issues that affect hundreds of thousands of older Australians, as well as clinicians – like you – who are essential to delivering critical care at home, in hospital and community environments.
The inquiry has already led to important progress, including the release of more home care packages, which have been critical in improving access to critical care for older Australians.
Key recommendations from the report include further investigations into:
While the report identifies many issues in the aged care sector it does not yet address the pressing issue of service delivery pricing, which directly impacts the quality of care and workforce sustainability.
One of the positive outcomes of the inquiry is the recommendation for further investigation into the impact of the Support at Home Program on older Australians’ dignity, health, safety and access to care. This gives us an opportunity to push for necessary pricing reforms to ensure that the true value of physiotherapy is recognised.
Indicative pricing set below market rates, along with service delivery units that do not reflect the full spectrum of care required, are placing unsustainable financial pressure on brokered physiotherapy providers. Combined with reductions in package and care management fees, these changes are eroding the viability of service delivery, restricting patient access to essential allied health services, compromising clinical outcomes, and threatening workforce sustainability.
The APA is calling for future inquiries to address these pricing pressures, which are limiting access to physiotherapy services for older Australians. We know that your work in the field is directly affected by these challenges and helps us advocate for the necessary changes.
What is clear from this report is that we now have a clear window of opportunity to influence future aged care reform. The APA is resetting its strategy to ensure that we maximise the opportunity it presents.