Last month, in the final hearing to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality & Safety, the Senior Counsel Assisting, Peter Gray QC and Peter Rozen QC, presented submissions on behalf of the Counsel Assisting team. (The Commissioners are not bound by these recommendations.)
At COTA, we have been following the Royal Commission closely to see what the findings mean for the future of aged care services in Australia. We have also engaged with consumers again during this last opportunity to influence the outcomes of the Royal Commission before the final report is released on 22 February 2021.
At the centre of the lengthy 124 recommendations, is a call to shift aged care from being a system that rations aged care services to one that provides care based on need. To read more and listen to the presentation go to Final Hearings.
COTA is encouraged that the recommendations call for a new Act, the removal of waiting times and the support of family and informal carers. We would like to see greater attention to consumer empowerment, choice and control in relation to Aged Care services. Care finders and case managers should be on the consumers’ side and independent of providers and the government.
For more information on COTA’s response to the recommendations of Counsel Assisting and other aspects of the Royal Commission please refer to COTA Australia website.
