1996-1997
5.2: Assessment
The 1996-97 Portfolio Budget Statements, informs Senators and Members of Parliament of the proposed allocation of resources to portfolios outcomes and their objectives and targets including the agencies within the Health and Family Services portfolio.
Objective
- To ensure frail older people gain access to available care services appropriate to their needs, and improve coordination of aged care services with other health and community support services.
Goals
- Clients are recommended to the residential care services, Community Aged Care Packages and other services most appropriate to their care needs.
- Improved Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment of clients with special needs, including those with dementia and other mental health problems.
- Streamlined administration of aged care assessment programme.
Strategies
- Assess all clients seeking access to residential care or Community Aged Care Packages.
- Improve access to assessment for ethnic and indigenous communities.
- Provide ACATs with information on dementia to improve their assessment processes and facilitate their access to psychogeriatric resources to support their assessment of people with dementia.
- Review roles and responsibilities of Commonwealth and States to enhance quality and continuity of care across programmes, and to eliminate duplication of administration in line with broader Council of Australian Governments (COAG) reform directions.
Performance Indicators and Targets
Effectiveness
- Annual number of assessments as a proportion of the total population aged 70 and over.
Target: Maintain or increase levels of access to aged care assessment services. - Average dependency level of persons newly admitted to nursing homes, as measured by scores on the Resident Classification Instrument (RCI).
Target: Average dependency level rises as service provision is reduced. - Number of ACATs trained in the use of the Dementia Resource Package.
Target: Increase on previous year.
Efficiency
- Cost to Commonwealth per client assessed.
Target: Reduced or stabilised cost per client assessed. - Changes to administrative practices and Commonwealth/State roles and responsibilities.
Target: Reduction in duplication of administration.
Quality
- Level of satisfaction with services received as measured by client surveys and complaints received.
Target: Increasing levels of client satisfaction.
Equity
- Level of ACAT service use by, and level of specifically targeted service provision for, older people with dementia, older indigenous people and older people in rural and remote areas, as compared with levels in the whole aged population.
Taget: Provision appropriate to proportion in population.
Budget Measures
Savings
Application of Efficiency Dividend to Commonwealth Own Purpose Outlays and Specific Purpose Payments of a Running Costs Nature
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
-1.2 | -1.6 | -1.8 | -2.2 |
Across-the-Board Reduction of 2% in Running Costs
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
-0.04 | -0.04 | -0.04 | -0.04 |
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