Communication still top issue for consumers

Shortcomings in communication top service delivery related issue across aged care programs – again, a new report from the Older Person’s Advocacy Network has found.

OPAN’ fourth Presenting Issues report on the National Aged Care Advocacy Program – released on Wednesday – analyses more than 44,000 cases of advocacy and information support across its national network in 2023-2024. That figure is 20 per cent up on 2022-23 cases and equates to 3.5 per cent of aged care recipients.

Service delivery was behind around half of the issues raised about the residential and home care package programs and a quarter of issues in the Commonwealth Home Support Program. Poor communication topped the service delivery issue list for all three, while contacts issues over fees and charges took the number one spot for financial issues in these aged care programs.

OPAN chief executive officer Craig Gear said the issues are the same as last year and other annual reports.

“It is disappointing to see poor communication and a lack of transparency on fees and charges in the issues being raised with OPAN for a second year in a row,” Mr Gear told Communtiy Care Review.

“The Complaints Commissioner at the Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission has also seen a similar trend as outlined in their recent report. It is clear there is more work to do to improve the standard across the sector.”

He said the new Aged Care Act would go a long way to resolving these issues.

“We look forward to an enhanced program of open disclosure and ready access to restorative pathways, which is something providers can commence preparing for now,” Mr Gear said.

Home care findings

Similarly more than expected, the number of OPAN services relating to Home Care Packages were 2.5 times higher than likely based on the number of older people receiving these services. This includes 6,262 advocacy cases and 44 per cent of all 14,238 advocacy cases.

Poor communication by HCP providers was the most common service delivery and financial issue raised, according to the report.

“Communication issues mostly co-occurred with issues related to a lack of information and support to make choices and decisions and also affected care planning and the coordination of older people’s services. Poor communication by HCP providers has been the most common theme in contacts with network members over the past years.”

For the first time, assistive technology was a top issue, ranking second among both service delivery and financial issues. Poor provider communication underpinned many of these contacts, the report found.

HCP fees and charges were the most common reason older people sought support with financial issues – 690 times, equating to 49 per cent of related 1,420 HCP cases.

CHSP snapshot

Bucking the trend, OPAN services relating to the Commonwealth Home Support Program were 4.5 times lower than expected when compared to the number of older people receiving these services. There were 2,320 advocacy cases related to the CHSP – 16 per cent of all 14,238 advocacy cases), with issues related to accessing aged care were the most common.

Again, poor provider communication was the most common issue raised in relating to CHSP service delivery. “Communication issues and their effect on decision-making and choice and control have been recurring themes in advocacy requests related to the CHSP over the past years,” the report found.

The next most common were domestic assistance and home maintenance or modifications. “Often both service types were raised in a single instance of advocacy support, with assistive technology issues also co-occurring with home maintenance or modification issues. Poor communication was the leading co-occurring issue with both domestic assistance and home maintenance/modification issues.”

Most financial issues concerned fees and charges, which also contributed to many of the contacts around communication issues, the report found.

See our story on Australian Aeing Agenda for findings related to residential aged care.

Report makes nearly 50 recommendations

The report includes 47 policy recommendations – including 23 remaining from last year’s report – across six areas:

• aged care rights (6 recommendations)
• workforce (4)
• accessing aged care (10)
• service availability (6)
• service delivery (5)
• financial issues (12)
• aged care advocacy (4).

OPAN’s chief recommendation is that all workers be required to uphold the Statement of Rights, so older people’s needs and wishes are addressed, said Mr Gear.

He reiterated calls for no further delays to the implementation of the new Aged Care Act.

“We all have a lot of work to do to ensure readiness for this new Aged Care Act, and we will continue to engage with the sector to ensure they are upholding the rights of older people,” Mr Gear told CCR.

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