Single funder health model needs a fresh look. Win for Ageing

Zapgrafix

The Tasmanian Greens today urged the Health Minister Michelle O’Byrne MP to pursue the option of a single funder model for hospitals with the new Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek, as a matter of urgency.

Greens Health spokesperson Paul O’Halloran MP welcomed Ms O’Byrne’s willingness to recognise some form of a single funder model as an option, but said discussions must be prioritised to get an answer if and when Tasmania will take on being a pilot.

“The shift to a single-funder model was one of the key calls made at the ANF and AMA’s public forum, but it’s an issue where Labor seems to be taking a softly-softly approach, and where the Liberals refuse to engage at all,” Mr O’Halloran.

“There are growing calls within the community, including the Australian Medical Association and others in the medical community, for a single funder model of some kind to be seriously considered.”

“Now that we have a new Federal Health Minister in place, the State Health minister needs to revisit this issue as a priority, by arguing the case for Tasmania to become a pilot for an appropriate single funder health model.”

“Last year, the Greens hosted a roundtable of leading health experts and practitioners, where there was strong support for a federal takeover of health funding or hospital funding in Tasmania.”

“It has been identified that a single funder model would help address funding inequities and inefficiencies, remove duplication and reduce waste, all of which are hampering our ability to get health onto a sustainable footing.”

“It’s disappointing that Labor has not made this a priority up to now, and it’s even more disappointing that the Liberals are more interested in negative grandstanding than constructive solutions for health,” Mr O’Halloran said.

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• Yesterday on TT: Don’t let them make us pay for their crisis

• Maxine Griffiths, Council on the Ageing: Report highlights chasms in aged care system

A report on findings from consultations in the community with older people about aged care, which
revealed some worrying signs, was released today by Council on the Ageing Tasmania (COTA
Tas).

COTA Tas CEO Maxine Griffiths said the findings of the report show there is still much work to be
done in ensuring older people are getting the right access to information and care when they need
it.

“What this report shows is that people are often confused about which care options are available to
them and that they find the system hard to navigate,” said Ms Griffiths.

“The concept of a single point of entry into the aged care system was supported by all participants
in the consultations.

“Older Tasmanians want a gateway into aged care that demonstrates an understanding of the local
community and the services that exist in the area, and that can provide them with local information
and a more coordinated approach.”

The report found that older people in the community believed that the lack of coordination and
integration of services and the lack of respect for timing of services being delivered strip them of
their dignity.

The report addressed the issues of care and support, housing of older Tasmanians, transport,
residential care, and carers and volunteers.

“We had one individual who told us they were left sitting in their night wear all day waiting for a
carer to arrive to give them a shower, never knowing what time of the day that would happen,” said
Ms Griffiths.

“Others in more remote areas of our State reported no aged care services provided on weekends
and public holidays, with one individual going for several days without a shower over a holiday
period because there was simply no access to care.

“This report shows we have a long way to go when it comes to aged care reform in our State and it
is our hope that these sort of findings help to shed light on the chasms in the system.”

COTA is a leading advocate and source of trusted information, giving older Tasmanians a voice.

Download:
ACR_Consultations_COTA_TAS_Summary_Report_M_Herzfeld_(3).pdf

• ACST: Aged care reform announcement ticks most of the boxes

The peak body representing aged care providers, Aged and Community Services Tasmania
(ACST), has welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to aged care reform announced
today.

The announcement comes after a number of reviews and the recommendations for aged care
reform handed down by the Productivity Commission in August last year.

ACST CEO Darren Mathewson said the announcement was a step in the right direction to ensure
a positive future for the services the aged care sector delivered in Tasmania.

“We are really pleased with the tone of the announcement today as it seeks to support people in
their own homes and create greater equity in the way people fund their aged care support and
accommodation,” Mr Mathewson said.

“Tasmania has the most dispersed population of any of the states or territories in Australia, so
ensuring people get the services they need, when they need them and that people can age with
dignity in their own homes is important.

“An overwhelming number of older Australians want to remain in their own homes as they age and
this expansion of care in the home will allow our members to provide support to those most in
need.

“This announcement ticks all the boxes around homecare, choice, access, equity, sustainability
and dementia services.

“We are also really pleased to see that the vital workforce issue has been addressed through $1.2
billion in funding to attract, retain and train aged care workers.

“It will be important that residential care remains sustainable and today’s announcements provide
commitments towards this, however these need further detailed consideration in order to ensure
that this will be the case.

“It is fundamentally important that government and the sector understand the actual cost of
providing care – in a number of diverse settings and for people with diverse needs – so that the
funding is right to provide high quality care and appropriate remuneration for nurses and care staff.

• HACSU: Major Win for our Ageing with 1.2Billion to tackle Workforce Issues

The Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) is relieved that the Government has included workforce in its plan for aged care reform.

HACSU Assistant State Secretary Tim Jacobson said “We welcome the overall package of greater funding and equitable access for aged acre services.”

“It is a credit to the Government that they have allocated specific funding for workforce issues which has been ignored for too long.”

“After years of our members campaigning so that they can provide the elderly with the quality of care they deserve, finally they have been acknowledged”.

HACSU is part of an alliance of aged care providers, unions, consumer groups and professionals under the banner National Aged Care Alliance are campaigning for greatly improved funding and reform for aged care.

www.agewellcampaign.com.au

• Gateway into aged care welcomed by COTA Tas

Council on the Ageing Tasmania (COTA Tas) has welcomed plans to develop a gateway into aged
care, announced by the Federal Government today as part of sweeping aged care reform.

COTA Tas CEO Maxine Griffiths said feedback from the community had pointed to the need for a
single entry point for sourcing information and accessing care and it was pleasing to see that this
had been recognised.

“Consumers have expressed frustration over a complicated system that is inconsistent in terms of
the information they receive, as well as not being able to access the care they need when they
need it,” said Ms Griffiths.

“The concept of a single point of entry into the aged care system was supported by all participants
in recent consultations conducted by COTA Tas representatives.

“Older Tasmanians want a gateway into aged care that demonstrates an understanding of the local
community and the services that exist in the area, and that can provide them with local information
and a more coordinated approach.”

The report released today found that older people in the community believed the lack of
coordination and integration of services and the lack of respect for timing of services being
delivered stripped them of their dignity.

“The proposed My Aged Care website and national call centre announced today is a sign that the
Government has finally listened to the voices of consumers,” said Ms Griffiths.

“We look forward to seeing the first steps take place in building the Aged Care Gateway, which
Government has said will involve an online integrated information and assessment entry point.

“It is our hope that the Federal Government will continue to ensure all major stakeholders have a
seat at the table and we look forward to working with them in establishing the gateway.

COTA is a leading advocate and source of trusted information, giving older Tasmanians a voice.