Aged Care
Australia faces huge growth in demand for aged care services. We should provide greater choice and responsiveness in how older people use aged care services.
National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission Fact Sheet
More choice for consumersMaking the system work better
Improving care through modern technology
More information
Australia faces huge growth in demand for aged care services. We should provide greater choice and responsiveness in how older people use aged care services.
More choice for consumers
There should be more aged care places to choose from - by lifting the current restrictions on the number of aged care places on offer.Aged care providers should make standardised information publicly available on the internet to enable older people and their families to make more informed choices.
People should be given greater scope to choose for themselves between using their care subsidy for community or residential care. For many elderly people, residential care will remain the best and only viable option for meeting their care needs.
Making the system work better
The Australian Government should cap the number of people receiving subsidies, rather than the number of places.There should be streamlined, consistent assessment for eligibility for care across all aged care programs.
All aged care staff should be trained to support consumers to complete advance care plans, if they wish to do so – so people can say what treatment options they prefer in what circumstances.
Improving care through modern technology
The safety, efficiency and effectiveness of care can be helped by better and more innovative use of technology and communication. This should include, for instance, helping people to access their own electronic health record, and on-line and telephonic advice should be available for older people and their carers.More information
This is a summary of some of the major recommendations of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. Full recommendations can be found in A Healthier Future For All Australians – Final Report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission – June 2009What's happening
Changes to the sale of tobacco products
The Tobacco Plain Packaging Information Kit provides practical information on the responsibilities and obligations of retailers and other suppliers of tobacco products under the new Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011.
eHealth.gov.au
eHealth.gov.au is your gateway to Australia's personally controlled electronic health record system, linking you to information about eHealth records and the system itself. Visit www.ehealth.gov.au
Living Longer. Living Better.
On 20 April 2012, the Prime Minister and Minister Butler unveiled a comprehensive package of reforms to build a better, fairer, more sustainable and more nationally consistent aged care system.
