Reports of Poor Care Being Investigated
Allegations about poor care at Sydney aged care facilities are being investigated by the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme and the independent Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency.
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30 May 2010
The serious allegations about poor care at Sydney aged care facilities raised for the first time in the media today are being immediately investigated by the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme and the independent Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency.
Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot said: “The claims are disturbing and the poor treatment described in the reports is simply not acceptable.
“There are no excuses for providing poor quality care to people in aged care facilities.”
Anyone who believes that care standards are not being met in any aged care facility should contact the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme on 1800 550 552 so that their concerns can be investigated.
The Rudd Government is reforming the aged care system to increase services, increase access to GP and primary health care providers, provide additional training for aged care workers and strengthen accountabilities.
Steps have already been taken to increase transparency and accountabilities through:
- Increased unannounced visits to facilities;
- Strengthened police checks;
- Improved reporting requirements for missing residents;
- Improved transparency by publicly reporting the performance history of individual facilities; and
- Provided an additional $72 million in the recent Budget, as part of a package of more than $900 million in aged care spending, for greater protections for residents.
The Rudd Government has increased funding by nearly 30 per cent but there is more to do to make up for the short-term fixes, patch-ups and neglect of the last decade.
The Rudd Government has taken the first steps to reform of the aged care system by taking full policy and funding responsibility for aged care, increasing its investment in workforce training and skills development, strengthening accountabilities and reporting requirements and increasing transparency.
The Productivity Commission is conducting a public inquiry into the sector to outline further reforms so that we have services in place to meet future demands and provide better support and care for older Australians.
For more information, contact Mrs Elliot's office on (02) 6277 7280
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