Productivity Commission report recommendations
Posted
by DPS
The release of the Productivity Commission Draft Research Report of Regulatory Burdens on Business has once again highlighted the concerns of the costs of onerous regulations and the need for reform in the aged care sector.
The draft Report proposes 13 recommendations.
For residential care:
- the identification of options for enabling more competition in the provision of aged care services;
- the removal of the regulatory restriction on bonds in high care;
- the provision of clearer delineation of responsibilities between the Department of Health and Ageing and the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency regarding compliance monitoring;
- streamlining of reporting of missing residents;
- the redesign of the unannounced Accreditation Agency visits using a risk management approach;
- removal of the annual fire safety declaration; and
- proposal for changes to the Building Code of Australia to include privacy and space requirements and removal of the requirement to disclose prudential information to care recipients or prospective care recipients are some of the recommendations.
In community care:
- the administrative burden associated with the different quality standards and processes is unsustainable particularly with the substantial growth in its share of subsidised places.
The Productivity Commission has recommended that the outstanding issues between jurisdictions be resolved and the National Quality Reporting Framework be implemented as soon as possible.
For aged care evaluation of the benefits of the police check requirements and whether this can be achieved more cost effectively is also recommended.
Visit http://www.pc.gov.au for more information.
