1 July aged care provider 'Priority Actions List' released

To help support the sector as it prepares for the new Aged Care Act coming into effect on 1 July, the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has released a Priority Actions List — designed to help providers and workers understand what’s changing and how it will affect their obligations, responsibilities and systems.

The resource is “a practical checklist” outlining the steps providers must take to be ready for the new Act. Essential steps include that providers ensure:

• older people receiving services are informed of their rights and protections;
• service agreements, digital systems and complaints processes are updated;
• the workforce is trained and understands new obligations;
• new financial and regulatory requirements are met; and
• for home care providers, a transition to the Support at Home program occurs.
   

Under the new Act, the government said aged care providers and workers “will be stewards of a system that is better regulated, more transparent and more accountable” — the above steps will help providers stay on track to meet their new obligations under the new Act, while continuing to deliver safe, high-quality and respectful care.

You can access these resources here, via the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Support at Home training packages

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has also made available new self-paced training, designed to help providers and workers understand responsibilities under the Support at Home program and obligations under the new Aged Care Act.

The training consists of two learning packages. Learning Package 1 — Program Overview Learning Package — provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental elements of the program, while Learning Package 2 — Delivering Services Modules — is a set of modules, which offer more detailed guidance across four topic areas.

The four modules of Package 2 are:

• Module 1: Assessment process and service delivery
• Module 2: Service agreement, care plan and budget planning
• Module 3: Short-term pathways
• Module 4: Claiming and payment arrangements
   

Learning Package 1 is available now — you can access it here — as is Module 1 of Learning Package 2 — accessible here. The government said the additional modules of Package 2 will be released “very soon”.

Image credit: iStock.com/sturti