New plan for long term quality of aged care for Indigenous communities

The Australian Government has detailed a plan to improve the long term quality of aged care for Indigenous communities.

This includes setting – for the first time – an independent set of quality standards applied to flexible Aboriginal aged care services, in remote and very remote communities.

This is supported by a $46.2 million program to support care staff and management, provide locum relief and improve facilities.

These services are outside the Aged Care Act 1997, which oversees nursing home standards in Australia.

The new quality standards will apply to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program – set up in 1994 – to provide services in Indigenous communities, that would not be able to support a nursing home on the urban model.

The Minister for Ageing, Mrs Justine Elliot, detailed the Government’s plan to support and improve the quality of the flexible Indigenous aged care services:

• Development of the first independent quality framework to set standards for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Flexible Aged Care Program. The framework will include standards for health and personal care, safety and physical environment, culturally appropriate lifestyle and effective management and governance.
• A program of grants for capital works to improve the infrastructure of the flexible Aboriginal aged care service, including funds for new building, refurbishment, extensions, staff housing and for an ongoing maintenance program.
• A peer and professional support program for Aboriginal aged care – to begin later this year –  to give aged care providers and managers access to a range of professional advice on governance, financial management and care management; to provide support to staff and locum relief while they undertake training or take leave; and provide funding for emergency clinical staff when required.
• An emergency assistance program to provide short term help in a crisis.
• Expanding employment and training opportunities for Indigenous people in aged care by:
  * Transferring 254 Indigenous people previously working under Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) to jobs in the Home and Community Care (HACC) program, to provide care to frail aged or disabled Indigenous people. This is being delivered already, in partnership with the Northern Territory Government;
  * Utilising $5.2 million provided through the Northern Territory Emergency Response, to address skill shortages amongst Aboriginal aged care workers; and
  * Using part of the $30 million available for the four year Support for Aged Care Training Program to train Aboriginal and Torres Strait aged care workers. (The Program will offer up to 1,400 training places for aged care workers in rural and remote areas. It is available to Registered Training Organisations to provide in depth training courses for personal care workers in aged care.)

The first four points above are funded by the Australian Government under the Remote and Indigenous Service Support Program at a cost of $46.2 million over five years.