ACAT delays preventing aged care admissions
Mark Sewell
Some older residents requiring care in the Illawarra New South Wales (NSW) region are being forced to wait months to be assessed due to backlogs in the health system, according to a report in the Illawarra Mercury.
According to one aged care provider, there were 560 people in the assessment queue in May, with some of those waiting up to 12-16 weeks to be seen by the Northern Illawarra Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT).
Wollongong Catholic Care, the social services agency for the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong, is concerned that ACAT is the sole entry point.
“Clients need to have the document to say they have been assessed. The ACAT is the only entry for residential and community care, such as CACP and EACH packages,” manager of aged and disability services, Colleen Mandicos said.
Warrigal Care chief executive officer, Mark Sewell, said his group had spent $52 million since 2005 to develop residential aged care homes and the assessment backlog was affecting efforts to fill beds.
“We’re operating at a $500,000 loss until new expanded services are full. This is due to lengthy delays in getting residents assessed by ACAT for a residential care place,” Mr Sewell said.
“Our main concern is people are waiting and yet services are available for those people”.
A spokesperson for the South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service said urgent cases (priority one) were seen within two days.
Clients not at immediate risk of harm (priority two) were seen “within the acceptable time frame of between two to 14 days”.
“In most cases priority three clients (those who are not deemed to be at risk) are seen within six weeks, however, in a small number of cases, clients have waited up to 12 weeks”.
