Last month, the Department of Health and Aged Care released a draft " Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy " report, outlining a vision for leveraging technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of aged care services in Australia. The final report is due out in December. We read the AMA's response yesterday and thought we should put out our own. While the report espouses positive principles, it falls short in providing concrete measures for achieving its stated goals. The draft strategy says all the right things but doesn't really provide specific actions. It rightly emphasizes the importance of placing older Australians at the center of aged care delivery. No one would disagree with statements like this - but how will this be achieved? The report suggests older people should be able to: Communicate across the system Experience independence Receive high-quality and consistent care Be empowered to make informed choices Again, it's hard to disagree with that...
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As a leading provider of SaaS solutions for aged care, Tell Touch diligently follows industry developments, particularly those affecting the experiences of older Australians in care. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's recent report on complaints about aged care services , spanning July 2022 to June 2023, provides crucial insights in line with our philosophy of early and proactive resolution of issues within aged care services. This inaugural report for providers examines the nature and resolution of complaints received by the Commission. It adheres to the Royal Commission's recommendations for greater transparency and a deeper understanding of the aged care experiences of older people. A key takeaway is the recognition of complaints as an essential source of intelligence, shaping regulatory and educational activities while underscoring the necessity for each service to have an internal complaints resolution process, as mandated by the Aged Care Act 1997 and the Aged
At the recent ACCPA National Conference, our conversations with numerous aged care providers revealed a prevalent trend: a significant number of providers still rely heavily on their staff to collect feedback and subsequently input it into risk management systems, with some even resorting to basic Excel Spreadsheets. This method, as recent research from Norway suggests, can dramatically affect the quality and impact of the feedback collected. The study shed light on the potential pitfalls of relying exclusively on staff to relay feedback on behalf of care recipients. In a preceding blog post (and as reported in the Australian Aging Agenda ), we referenced Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson's address at the ACCPA National Conference, emphasising the paramount importance of standard six - feedback and complaints. Commissioner Anderson passionately conveyed, "If you're listening to the people you're providing care for, then there is a much better ch