Scores of new provider applications fail
The latest aged care sector performance report shows the number of complaints and services failing to comply has risen.
More than 40 new home care applications were denied approval or pulled, according to the quality commission’s latest performance report.
There are 4,920 aged care services, including 2,236 home services, which covers home care packages, the Commonwealth Home Support Program, and flexible care delivered in the home, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Sector performance report on the January-March 2022 quarter shows.
There are 211,284 home care package consumers and 825,506 Commonwealth Home Support Program consumers, according to the report released earlier this month.
During the quarter the commission received 10 applications to become an approved provider during the quarter, nine of which were for home care.
It was far fewer than the previous quarter when the commission received 227 new home care provider applications. Most of these unprecedented number of applications received in the Oct-Dec 2021 quarter were submitted prior to a fee being introduced from 15 November 2021.
In the Jan-Mar 2022 quarter, four home care provider applications were approved, while approval was declined for 36 and five applications did not proceed.
Failures to comply up
Standard two’s assessment and planning informs safe, effective care and services continues to be the most common standard residential homes are failing to comply with.
During the quarter, the commission made 758 site visits, which includes site audits, performance assessments, monitoring contacts and quality audits, including 65 to home services.
The commission found 120 services non-compliant with at least one quality standard including 21 home care services. That’s up from 97 total services and 11 home services found to be non-compliant the previous quarter.
In regards to home services, the commission issued four directions to revise plan for continuous improvement and six non-compliance notices.
Complaints also up
Elsewhere during the quarter, there were 2,767 aged care complaints, including 1,066 related to home services. That’s up from 2,543 and 873 respectively on the previous quarter.
The latest aged care complaints covered 1,860 issues. Complaints made by care recipient (521), representative or family member (487), other 37 or anonymous (21).
The commission finalised 742 complaints about home services during the quarter. Across all of aged care there were 5,980 issues raised and 4,806 issues finalised.
Follow Community Care Review on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and sign up to our newsletter.
