The System Governor

The System Governor is the main decision maker who is responsible for overseeing the funded aged care system. The Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing holds this role. The department and other delegates support the System Governor to meet their responsibilities. Chapter 8 explains who the System Governor can delegate responsibilities to. 

[Chapter 5 – Part 2]

Responsibilities of the System Governor

The System Governor is broadly responsible for making sure all parts of the aged care system work well together. This includes:

• supporting fair access to aged care services, such as making sure older people have services that suit their needs, wherever they live
• supporting continuity of care so older people can keep receiving services when there are disruptions to a provider’s service delivery
• providing stewardship – guidance – in the aged care system and encouraging high quality care. This includes:
  • developing policy to improve the aged care system
  • promoting greater availability and a wider range of services
  • educating providers to build their capability to deliver best practice services.
• collecting and providing accurate and transparent information about spending in the aged care system, from both providers and the government
• encouraging training and development for aged care workers
• reviewing how the government runs the aged care system through research and analysis.

Register of coroner’s reports

The System Governor is responsible for keeping a public register of coroner’s reports. This records any reports that include a recommendation for the department after the death of someone using aged care services.

This register must include certain information from the coroner’s report. The register will usually record: 

• the circumstances of the death
• the coroner’s recommendations to the department
• any action taken by the department. 

The System Governor must take reasonable steps to make sure this information is de-identified. This means it won’t include personal information, like names and addresses. 

Reporting

Under the Act, the System Governor has to provide certain reports. 

Each quarter, they must give the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors a report on waiting periods for older people applying for non-specialist aged care services. This report includes: 

• the number of applications
• a summary and analysis on how long people are waiting. 

Each year, the System Governor must also give the Inspector-General of Aged Care a report on the register of coroner’s reports. This includes: 

• the recommendations the coroner made to the department
• a summary and assessment of any actions the department has taken.