Single phone number for aged care system
The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, has announced that from 1 July 2011, older Australians and their carers will find it easier to access and navigate the aged care system with the introduction of a single phone number to access and navigate the system as the first step in the phased implementation of the one stop shop measure.
The Government is committed to making it easier for Australians to access aged care services, and is investing $36.8 million to establish a new front end for aged care that will improve information, intake and assessment through a national aged care hub and the establishment of local care and assessment teams over the next 3 years.
“Many people who have encountered the current system have told us that there are currently multiple entry points, and information on service options and availability of services can be difficult to find,” Mr Butler said.
“This new national phone number will consolidate the range of existing 1800 numbers, and act as a single point of entry for people seeking information and access to aged care services.”
Mr Butler said the Government will also make extensive improvements to the aged care website to see better, more comprehensive and up-to-date information available for the growing number of people who like to find their information online.
“This year, more than 1.2 million older Australians will receive some form of aged or community care service and the proportion of people aged 65 and over will increase from 13% to 25% by 2050,” Mr Butler said.
“That’s why this Government is acting now to create a streamlined and user-friendly point of entry that takes the confusion out of navigating a system so many Australians rely upon – it’s about simplifying the system.”
The Government will continue to make improvements to the aged care system utilising a phased approach to allow flexibility in responding to the Final Report of the Productivity Commission in June, and to allow time for adjustment for both service providers and consumers.
The system will also be closely aligned with Medicare Locals and Local Hospital Networks to ensure people’s health needs are detected and addressed, with services coordinated across the health and aged care systems.
