APS submission to the Consultation about the Australian Government’s Exposure Draft of the new Aged Care Act

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) welcomed the opportunity to respond to the Department of Health and Aged Care's consultation on the Exposure Draft of the new Aged Care Act. 

The APS submission emphasised the importance of a human rights-based approach to the new Aged Care Act; one that puts the rights and needs of older people first and aligns with the foremost recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety for the Australian Government to develop such legislation. However, we raised concerns in the submission about the extent to which the Act in its current form will ensure equitable access to high-quality home and residential aged care. In particular, we highlighted the under-provision and under-funding of care provided by psychologists and allied health professionals.

The APS called for the integration of psychology and allied health services as an essential component of quality aged care. This will require mechanisms such as mandatory benchmarks and dedicated funding to address the unmet mental and physical health care needs of older people, as outlined in the APS Position Statement on Psychologists in Residential Aged Care. We commended the Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) submission and endorsed their recommendations for improving the Act and aged care system.

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