CHA adopted in July 2008 a new vision for aged care - The Aged Care Policy Blueprint which it seeks to see achieved by 2020. The Aged Care Policy Blueprint is a product of wide consultation with the operators of Catholic Aged Care services. The last major reform of residential aged care policy occurred in 1997. CHA considers that it is time for the next major reforms to be implemented.
Click here to download the blueprint.
Catholic Health Australia has released a policy proposal for the Federal Government to establish a single national agency to improve community access to aged care services and provide much-needed information to older Australians and their families. The paper proposes a "one-stop shop" for to help older Australians access and understand their aged care options.
Click here to download the policy paper.
New nursing home accommodation costs $40.32 per bed per day over 25 years to build and fit out, Access Economics reveals in this report commissioned by a coalition of major Australian providers of aged care. The cost compares with a legislated cap on the per-bed payment of just $26.88 per day.
Click here to download the report.
The neglect of palliative care in the broader health policy agenda presents as an urgent health challenge for governments. Palliative care is not an optional extra -- it must be viewed as an integral core component of health care delivery and take place in any setting. Governments must invest in providing palliative care services as a core part of health care and not as an "add-on extra".
Catholic Health Australia's new publication, Pursuing Excellence in Palliative Care, aims to contribute to the revision of the National Palliative Care Strategy and calls for an adherence to fifteen principles that should be responded to by governments and service providers in order to deliver excellence in palliative care.
Click here to download the document
CHA's expert policy analysts produced analysis of the parties' aged care election policies as they are announced.
This assessment of the Productivity Commission's draft report Caring for Older Australians was presented to the 11th national conference of the National Rural Health Alliance -- March 2011.
Over the years, a range of policies and programs targeting the provision of aged care services in rural and remote locations have been developed. The Productivity Commission's recommendations, if implemented, would result in a fundamental reshaping of the current aged care system. The paper assesses the implications of the recommendations for rural and remote services and, where relevant, also considers the Productivity Commission's recommendations in the context of other recent reforms in the primary health care sector affecting rural and remote health services.
Click here to download the report
Catholic Health Australia's senior aged care policy adviser Nick Mersiades has conducted an analysis of the Government's aged care reforms announced on April 20, 2012. Click here to access the document.
The Australian Cost of Residential Aged Care Research, released on February 2, 2012, was conducted by accountancy firm Grant Thornton Australia. The study examined the costs of building and operating aged care facilities and revealed a funding deficit of up to $62 per bed per day for operators, casting doubts over the sustainability of the aged care sector.
Catholic Health Australia was one of the sponsors of the study, along with Aged Care Association of Australia, Aged and Community Services Australia, Aged Care Association South Australia, Australian Unity, Aged Care Association Australia NSW and Aged & Community Care Victoria.
The Productivity Commission's final report Caring for Older Australians was released by the Commonwealth Government for public consultation in August 2011. The report contains far-reaching recommendations for reform of Australia's aged care system.
Catholic Health Australia's initial analysis and assessment of the report's key recommendations may be downloaded by clicking here.
