Home service complaints up slightly
Complaints about home care and support services have increased by less than 5 per cent, a new report from the regulator shows.
Complaints about aged care services in the home have risen a fraction compared with 2022- 2023 with lack of consultation and communication topping the list of issues, this year’s report from the regulator shows.
Complaints about aged care – Year in review (July 2023-June 2024) published by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission tables the complaints received by the regulatory body about aged care services.
“We can receive complaints about aged care services from anyone at any time. People often come to us because their provider’s complaints process has not addressed their concerns or because they don’t feel confident to speak with their provider,” writes commission chief Janet Anderson in the report’s foreword.
“Providers are encouraged to use the data, case studies and guided questions in this report to learn about good complaint handling processes that they can apply to their service.”
Reviewing complaints received from 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 in this year’s report, shows a total of 4,031 complaints were received about Home Care Package and Commonwealth Home Support Program services, up from 4,015 the previous year.
New South Wales received the most home service complaints during the period (1,106), followed Queensland (981) and Victoria (927).
The number one issue raised about home services was about poor consultation and communication with concerns about fees, charges and financial management issues coming in second and third respectively.
The top 10 complaint issues for home services were:
In total 1,718 complaints received were made by family members and representatives with 1,868 complaints lodged by a person receiving care.
Throughout the year, the commission took an average of 57 days to resolve complaints related to services in the home and 68 per cent of complaints were resolved within 60 days, the 32-page report shows.
“We want to empower people receiving care to speak up, offer feedback and raise concerns if something doesn’t seem right. We also want to help providers to understand their obligations to enable and effectively manage feedback and complaints,” writes Ms Anderson.
“Resolving complaints is one of the commission’s core responsibilities and functions.”
Complaints Commissioner Ms Louise Macleod – who was appointed to the role in May 2023 – added the journey towards improving was not a race.
“There is no finish line,” said Ms Macleod.
“Providers need to have an ongoing process of listening, working together with people receiving care, and improving services as part of everything that they do. By focusing on good communication and developing relationships, we can make significant improvements and deliver better outcomes for older people.”
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