Date published:
Audience:
General public
The new Aged Care Act begins this Saturday, 1 November.
The new Act puts older people at the centre of aged care, creates a safer and fairer system for everyone and ensures they have the quality of life they deserve.
What’s different on 1 November
The new Act addresses 58 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. It does this through:
- a Statement of Rights ensuring older people remain active care system participants in their own care
- the new Support at Home program, improving access to services, products, equipment and home modifications
- strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards improving the quality of care
- new regulatory model encouraging stronger working relationships, transparency and engagement
- simplifying the registration process and giving clear provider obligations
- funding culturally safe, trauma-aware and healing-informed services for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- updating our digital systems to support high-quality, better-connected care.
We are staging out the reforms from 1 November. This will minimise disruption to how you operate and guarantee continuity of care for older people.
What you can do
There are actions providers can complete before and after 1 November. You can:
- review the Priority Actions List so you know what you need to do after 1 November
- complete any mandatory reporting in the Government Provider Management System, My Aged Care Service and Support Portal and Aged Care Provider Portal
- talk to your workers and older people, their families and carers to reassure them.
We will continue to support you throughout the reform journey. There are eLearning materials and other resources tailored to you available on our website.