The final report from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety echoes many of the issues raised by the sector in our submission. The Commissioners advocate strongly for a system which prioritises “care, dignity and respect” for older Australians.
Some of the major weaknesses they see in the current system are summarised in Section 1.2 of Volume 1, and described in detail in Volume 2. Those most relevant to our sector include:
- Inequity for people with disabilities
- Lack of culturally safe services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Difficulty accessing services in rural and remote areas, despite higher concentration of older population
- Problems with accessing healthcare in both home and residential settings
- Difficulty entering the system via My Aged Care
- Long waiting lists for home care packages causing premature residential care entry and other adverse outcomes.
Our summary of the final report and its recommendations relevant to the eye sector is available in Word or PDF versions. We have also distributed a media release highlighting issues relevant to the sector.
A full version of the final report is available on the Royal Commission’s website.
The recent Vision 2020 Australia submission to the 2021/22 Federal Budget includes suggested measures relevant to Royal Commission’s recommendations.