Residential aged care: Proposed alternative models for allocating places

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Before your start, please advise your consent to publish response

1. We would like your permission to publish your online survey responses to the discussion paper. Please indicate your publishing preference:

Please select one item
(Required)
Publish response (include both my name and organisation's name)
Publish response, but keep my name private (include my organisation's name)
Ticked Publish response anonymously (remove both my name and organisation's name)
Do not publish response

Before you start, please tell us about yourself

5. What stakeholder category do you most identify with?

Please select all that apply
(Required)
Consumer
Carer or other consumer representative
Consumer advocacy organisation
Consumer peak body
Carer peak body
Approved provider of residential aged care
Approved provider of flexible aged care
Approved provider of home care
Aged care provider peak body
Provider of private aged care or seniors accommodation
Aged Care Assessment Team/Service
Ticked Aged care worker
Health professional
Workforce association or union
Primary Health Network
State and territory government
Local council
Commonwealth agency
Lender or investor/financier
Other
Please select all that apply
people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
veterans
people who live in rural or remote areas
people who are financially or socially disadvantaged
people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
people who are care-leavers
parents separated from their children by forced adoption or removal
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people
people with disabilities
people with dementia
other group
Prefer not to answer
Ticked Not applicable

6. Where does your organisation operate (if applicable)? Otherwise, where do you live?

Please select all that apply
(Required)
Ticked New South Wales
Australian Capital Territory
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Tasmania
All states and territories in Australia
Please select all that apply
(Required)
In a remote area
In a rural area
In a regional area
Ticked In a metropolitan area or major city

Current arrangements

7. What works well under the current residential aged care allocation and places management model for consumers and/or providers?

Strengths of current arrangements for consumers
Supported ratios
Strengths of current arrangements for providers
None

8. Are there other issue/s with the current model for the allocation and management of places for residential aged care that have not been covered in this paper?

Other issues with current arrangements for consumers
Nil
Other issues with current arrangements for providers
Nil
Are these problems occurring at national level, or only in certain areas (e.g. rural, regional and remote areas) or for particular consumer groups?
Regional areas

Design principles for alternative allocation models

9. Are the proposed design principles appropriate?

Please select one item
Ticked Yes
No
Please elaborate on your response
Let the market decide

10. Are there any other principles that you consider should be included?

Please select one item
Yes
Ticked No

Model 1: Improve the ACAR and places management - Overall model

11. What are your views on the suggested improvements proposed under this model?

Views on model 1
Still won’t allow providers to provide beds where they believe there is demand

Model 1: Improve the ACAR and places management - Key design considerations

12. How can this model ensure/encourage adequate supply of and equitable access to residential aged care and residential respite care (aside from increasing funding or revising the funding model), including:

in rural, regional and remote areas and other thin markets?
Not sure
for consumers from vulnerable cohorts (such as Special Needs Groups, consumers with dementia)?
Not sure

13. Are there variations to this model which should be included in the impact analysis?

Model 1 variants
Not sure

14. What other key changes could be made to the existing ACAR and/or places management arrangements to encourage a more consumer driven and competitive residential aged care sector?

Other key changes to ACAR
Not sure

Model 1: Improve the ACAR and places management - Exploring the potential impacts

15. In overview, what would be the potential impact of this model (consider benefits, costs and risks) on you or the stakeholder group or organisation you represent?

Model 1 potential impact
Better

16. What do you think might be the impact on the residential aged care sector overall?

Model 1 potential overall sector impact
Better

17. If this model were to be implemented, what are the potential impacts on, linkages or interdependencies with, other programs or reforms in aged care that might impact you or the stakeholder group or organisation you represent?

Model 1 & other programs or reforms
Nil

Model 1: Improve the ACAR and places management - Implementation and transition considerations

18. How could implementation of this model maximise the benefits and minimise risks/disruptions?

Model 1 implementation
Not too different to current ACAR

Model 2: Assign residential aged care places to consumers - Overall model

19. Overall, what are your views on this proposed model?

Model 2 views
Fantastic

Model 2: Assign residential aged care places to consumers - Key design considerations (consumers)

20. What are your views on the establishment of a queue to access subsidised residential aged care, if the demand from eligible persons exceeds the available places?

Model 2 views on queue
Agree

21. What are your views on using date of approval and urgency of need as factors in determining a person’s priority (noting these are the factors used in home care)?

Model 2 views on date of approval and urgency
Good

22. What other factors should also be included in the criteria for prioritising a person in the residential aged care queue?

Model 2 other prioritisation factors
None

23. What are your views on the validity period of the assigned place for residential aged care?

Model 2 validity period of place
Ok

24. Where a place is withdrawn, how can we balance the need to allow consumers to re-join the queue while also avoiding creation of perverse incentives for people to join the queue without intention of taking up a place at that time?

Model 2 withdrawn place
None

25. What additional information or supports would consumers need to assist them in selecting a preferred aged care home?

Model 2 - Additional information or supports for consumers to select aged care home
Current comparison websites

26. What would need to be in place to ensure equitable access to appropriate services when requesting entry to an aged care home i.e. in particular for consumers with limited capacity to pay, consumers from Special Needs Groups and those with dementia?

Model 2 equitable access for particular consumers
Financial incentives

Model 2: Assign residential aged care places to consumers - Key design considerations (providers)

27. As an existing approved provider: Would you consider changing your business, service or workforce model if these reforms proceeded? If so, how?

Approved providers - changes to business, service or workforce model
Yes
Would develop where we want to invest rather than the government thinks

28. As an existing approved provider: How would you ensure your aged care home/s remain competitive and attractive to consumers?

Approved providers - how to ensure aged care home remains competitive and attractive
Upgrade or redevelop

29. As a provider of private residential aged care or other seniors accommodation: Would you consider applying to become an approved provider under the Aged Care Act 1997 to offer subsidised care if these reforms proceeded?

Non approved provider - becoming an approved provider
Already there

30. What features in the model, or the broader system, would be required to support providers to operate sustainably in a competitive market? For example, how could innovation and differentiation in service and accommodation offerings be facilitated?

Model 2 how to support sustainable provider operation
The market will decide

31. For those providers who are dependent on capital financing, what role does the ACAR system play in supporting their ability to obtain that financing?

Model 2 role of ACAR in capital finance
Nil

32. What might be required to ensure the residential aged care sector remains an attractive investment for financiers and lenders?

Model 2 how to ensure sector remains attractive investment
Nil

33. How can adequate availability of residential aged care services be supported (aside from increasing funding or revising the funding model):

in rural, regional and remote areas and other thin markets?
The market will decide
for consumers from vulnerable cohorts (such as Special Needs Groups, consumers with dementia)?
The market will decide

34. Is it possible to attach conditions to being an approved provider, and could these conditions be specific to locations or particular consumer groups?

Model 2 attach conditions to approved provider status
No

Model 2: Assign residential aged care places to consumers - Exploring the potential impacts

35. What would be the overall potential impact of this model (consider benefits, costs, and risks) on you or the organisation or stakeholder group you represent?

Model 2 potential impact
Positive

36. What do you think might be the impact on the residential aged care sector overall?

Model 2 overall sector impact
Positive

37. If this model were to be implemented, what are the potential impacts on, linkages or interdependencies with, other programs or reforms in aged care that might impact you or the stakeholder group or organisation you represent?

Model 2 impact on other programs or reforms
Positive

38. How could residential respite care places be distributed, and to whom, if residential aged care places no longer exist?

Model 2 respite care
Not. Consumers will vote with their feet

39. What are your views on how to manage extra service status under this model?

Model 2 extra service status
Keep it the same

40. How might the allocation, eligibility criteria and/or administrative provisions (e.g. terms of repayment) for capital grants allocated through the ACAR need to change to best support the needs and objectives of a more market based model?

Model 2 capital grants
Keep same

Model 2: Assign residential aged care places to consumers - Implementation and transition considerations

41. How could implementation of this model maximise the benefits and minimise risks/disruptions?

Model 2 implementation
Allows providers too meet unmet demand quicker
What steps/sequencing and timeframes would be appropriate to facilitate a smooth transition?
12 months
What specific supports or enablers would be required to ensure the changes are understood by all stakeholders and successfully implemented?
Nil

General views

42. Aside from the two proposed models, how else could we encourage greater consumer choice and a more consumer driven market in residential aged care?

Other models to consider
Nil

43. Do you have any other overall comments you wish to provide?

General comments
Let the market decide