Submission to a proposal for a new residential aged care funding model

The APS supports the proposed funding model and notes that it is a significant improvement on the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI). Separating resident assessment for funding from resident assessment for care planning addresses a lot of the flaws in the ACFI model. However, the APS does have some concerns regarding the model’s development and future implementation, which are outlined in the submission.

In summary, the APS has some concerns about this proposed model and makes the following recommendations to the Department:

• Use trial and early implementation findings to support appropriate refining of the model so that it leads to delivery of care that meets resident needs, and is not merely based on what is currently provided
• Invest adequate funding into residential aged care in order to enable the model to work to its full potential
• Implement mechanisms to address the mental health needs of residents such as ensuring psychologists have a role in the internal care planning assessment process
• Remove the exclusion of contracting out the one-off adjustment payment to third party providers
• Implement the 30 recommendations in their entirety.

View submission