The Morrison Government is taking immediate action by investing $537 million in a funding package to protect senior Australians, including the 1,500 aged care residents in Forde, in response to the Aged Care Royal Commission interim report.
Federal Member for Forde Bert van Manen said the funding boost will deliver 10,000 new home care packages, improve medication management for aged care residents with dementia and and facilitate getting younger people out of residential aged care.
“Delivering quality aged care is a priority for people in Forde which is why our Government has taken swift action to provide more support in these three priority areas,” he said.
“Families in Forde and around Australia expect and deserve the confidence that their loved ones living in care will be treated with dignity and respect and I am committed to ensure this happens.”
The interim report has revealed a systemic failure of the aged care sector to protect the vulnerable members of our communities living in care which the Government will invest to address across three identified priority areas including:
- Investing $496.3 million for an additional 10,000 home care packages, to be rolled out from 1 December 2019;
- Providing $25.5 million to improve medication management for aged-care residents with dementia and put restrictions in place on the use of medication as a chemical restraint from 1 January 2020;
- Delivering $10 million for additional dementia training and support for aged care workers and providers;
- Investing $4.7 million to help remove younger people with disabilities from residential aged care by 2025.
The Royal Commission’s final report is due in November 2020 and the Government is taking long-term measures to overhaul our failing aged care sector and protect older Australians.
The Morrison Government has established a new independent aged care watchdog in the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, upgraded Aged Care Quality Standards and introduced regulations to minimise the use of restraints and is developing a Serious Incident Response Scheme.
The Federal Government is also expanding the powers of the Commission, with the new Commissioner responsible for the approval of aged care providers, compliance and enforcement actions in relation to the care being provided, and the administration of the responsibilities of approved providers to report assaults.
While new reforms are being introduced, the Morrison Government will continue to deliver record funding for older Australians of $21.7 billion in 2019-20, growing to an estimated $25.4 billion in 2022-23, up from $13.3 billion in 2012-13.
