Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, , 5:46:10 to 5:50:34
The Inspector of Aged Care discusses the "Before the Fall" report and the value of preventive investment to delay residential care entry.
Topics: Social services, Integrity
Speakers: Ms Kate Pope, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Senator Ellie Whiteaker, Unknown Speaker
Um Miss Siegel Brown uh had indicated that the Office of the Inspector was doing some work around looking at ways that the I guess the system can be front loaded so that that the money that is being expended is being expended on more timely access to early support. So I'm just wondering if it's possible for you to give us an update on where that work is at.
Thank you, Senator. Um yes, so we have released recently a report called uh Before the Fall, uh produced by Professor David Cullen, which does uh draw together a lot of evidence around prevention and the value of front-end loading as you expressed it, the expenditure to keep people at home for as long as possible and contribute to delaying entry into residential age care. We are doing some more work around that, and we expect to have some preliminary results of that work early next year, probably by the end of January around more modelling around the preventive investment and the difference that that might make. So we don't have anything further at the moment.
Okay, thank you. Uh and maybe just a question around I guess the increasing prevalence of the minimum service offers. Like we're seeing increasingly that people are getting a lower level of care than what they've been assessed for, and as we've heard, some people are waiting up to four months to get that. Um, just wondering if you have any observations, particularly in relation to that, um, as I guess it pertains to the recommendations of the Royal Commission to stop rationing care and to be getting people care at the at the point that they need it.
Yes, as I'm sure you're aware, Senator, we recently announced the uh commencement of the review into the implementation of the 148 recommendations, and our report is due by the 1st of November 2027. Um clearly, this is the the issues that you've just raised there will be part of that um consideration. Um I am aware uh both from discussions with the department and with the feedback that we get from the many people I'm speaking to as I work my way into this role that uh minimum service offers are causing people concern and that they they feel uncertain about expending money from their package because they're not sure when they're going to get the rest of it and worried about budgeting and those kinds of issues. So they're the kinds of things people have said to me in the time I've been here, and we certainly share their concerns and can imagine that it does introduce uncertainty for uh for individuals. So, yes, it's it's certainly an issue we're keeping a close eye on.
Thanks, Ms. Poe. And yeah, conscious that you've only been in the role a short time. Um, but are there any other issues that are sort of being raised, I guess that are bubbling to the surface that on your radar at the moment?
Yes, and they probably won't surprise you, Senator, because I'm sure there are things that you're hearing as well, but uh access to services under support at home, so finding sufficient providers able to respond to uh requests for for services. Uh transitioning from uh CHSP into support at home. Um it's a new system, and people are still I think finding that challenging. Um concerns about the future of CHSP, so welcoming the extension, but wanting to understand what it's going to look like in the future, and so some you know, welcome certainty now, but you know what's to come in the future. Um I think uh concerns around transparency of of costs, such as the examples you were talking about, um understanding what it means to be charged a certain amount and then what that will turn into in terms of what gets charged to the package and have a budget. Budget and manage uh those things. Um they're probably the the main sort of concern. So about getting used to the new system, uh working out how to access it, um, a bit of concern around complexity of information and how to access information and uh and needing help to to work their way through uh understanding the advice they're being given and how to how to go about it.
Thanks very much, Ms. Pope. Uh I'll leave it there for now, Chair.
Thank you, Senator Owen Payne. Senator Ruston or Senator Gaytonby?