9 August 2011

Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers described the release yesterday of the Productivity Commission’s final Caring For Older Australians report as a landmark in the development of aged care in this country.

“The Productivity Commission has proposed a scheme to give everyone access to a choice of high quality care as they age” Ms Chambers said today.

“It is based on making it easy for people to find out what care is out there. It gives everyone an entitlement to the care that they need, in aged care facilities and – especially – in their own homes.

“It would do that by providing a gateway to assess people and guide them to their choice of care, free up the supply of aged care services, and pay the aged care workforce properly for their work.

“With more money in the system coming from the government and from consumers who can afford it, people would no longer have to sell their family home or miss out on the care that would work best for them.

“The release of this report is a landmark because it is a plan to reform the whole sector; and it has in principle support of almost everyone affected - including many older people themselves, aged care workers, and the organisations who provide that care.

“There are lots of details that need to be worked out, in terms of the final reform package, and in how we can transition safely from today’s inflexible, rationed system. It will also take some time for the details to become clear to the wider community.

“So we look forward to working through these plans with our network, with the people in the community who we work with, and with others in the industry.

“No one is saying this will be an easy process but it is essential.

“The big news, from our point of view, is that there does seem to be national momentum for reform. In the context of the significant population and workforce changes ahead of us, this is a vital step in the right direction. Just in time”, Ms Chambers said

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