On Monday the Community Affairs Legislation Committee published its report on the Aged Care Bill, but for aged care provider NewDirection Care, innovation remains missing in action from this once in a generation reform.
CEO Natasha Chadwick appeared before the Committee and gave evidence, raising concerns about how innovation is addressed in the drafted legislation.
While the Committee Report captures a number of important factors, the case remains that innovation has not been sufficiently supported and still seems to be not well understood.
"While we warmly welcome many aspects of the Report and thank the Committee for their consideration, we remain concerned that innovation is being overlooked," Natasha Chadwick said.
"The new Aged Care Bill seeks to deliver transformational change, but there can be no change in practice if providers are not empowered to challenge the status quo to find new and better ways to deliver the care and quality of life that older Australians expect.
"Innovation is not purely about robotics and information systems to increase efficiency; it is also about delivering better care and a better quality of lived experience.
"We consider there is still some way to go if we want to see innovation being adequately supported in this new regime. We consider it a missed opportunity to not call out innovation more explicitly as providers will be reticent to improve practice if there are not provisions for them to do so.
"We were however very pleased to see the Committee reflect on the importance of sustainability in aged care, the voice of providers in the development of the Aged Care Rules and of course to see consideration being given for how transition and reform will take place practically.
"Additionally, we were also pleased to see discussion of increased flexibility in care minutes to facilitate fit for purpose care on an individual basis rather than a one-size fits all approach.
"However, there remains a clear gap in the aged care architecture to allow for care being provided in new ways. If this is not addressed, we risk stagnating the industry.
"While we were grateful to see recognition on this critical topic in Additional Comments from the Coalition Senators, we would like to see greater acknowledgement for the principles of innovation being elevated as a fundamental for the success of Aged Care.
"We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Government to ensure that the application of the Bill supports the important work that innovative providers, including NewDirection Care, are doing, so that as an industry we can collectively move forward and deliver better outcomes for older Australians."
