What’s New

Respecting and meeting end-of-life care needs in residential aged care

Access to high quality palliative and end-of-life care in aged care facilities will enable more Australians to have a good death, aged care, palliative care and aged care consumer peak bodies said today.

Regional end-of-life care spend welcome but Andrews Government must still deliver equitable access (Victoria)

Catholic Health Australia’s (CHA) CEO Suzanne Greenwood today welcomed Health Minister Jill Hennessy’s announcement that the government’s Regional Health Infrastructure Fund will for the first time be expanded to include publically funded community palliative care services.

Billion dollar Medicare investment positive for health (Federal Budget 2017/18)

Announced tonight in the 2017/18 Federal Budget, Catholic Health Australia (CHA) has welcomed the partial end to the four-year freeze on the Medicare rebate, however asserts the savings should be passed on to consumers to reduce the financial burden of accessing medical care.

Government review of aged care quality regulatory arrangements welcomed by Catholic Health Australia

Catholic Health Australia (CHA) welcomes today’s announcement by Minister Wyatt that the government will respond to the Oakden Older Persons Mental Health Service review with an independent review of aged care quality regulatory arrangements.

Voluntary Assisted Dying: Andrews Government must guarantee equitable access to all end-of-life options

Catholic Health Australia (CHA) has urged the Andrews Government to release its financial modelling to demonstrate how the government will resource both end-of-life care and education to ensure all Victorians have equitable access to options other than voluntary assisted suicide (VAS) should VAS be made legal in Victoria this year.

Older Australians to have increased choice with funds following the consumer from today

Older Australians who access home care services will – for the first time – be able to exercise greater choice and control from today with the commencement of Increasing Choice in Home Care, launched this morning by Minister Ken Wyatt.

Private health insurers must not diminish access to mental health services with exclusive policies

Catholic Health Australia (CHA) is adamant that excluding mental health cover from silver and bronze level1 private health insurance products would result in fewer options for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

A proposal to exclude mental health cover from anything but the most expensive insurance products was tabled at the third meeting of the Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, comprised of healthcare and private health insurance stakeholders.

The impact of mental illness in Australia is significant, costing $8.5 billion in 2014/15 and comprising approximately 13 per cent of Australia’s total burden of disease.

“An estimated 45 per cent of Australians will experience some form of mental disorder in their lifetime,” said Catholic Health Australia’s CEO, Suzanne Greenwood.

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Key aged care policy to increase consumer choice and control falters

Catholic Health Australia (CHA) has urged the Turnbull Government to take action in its 2017-18 Budget to improve older Australians access to home care packages that match their assessed needs – to be achieved by stepping up the release of new home care places and assigning packages to individuals as prioritised by MyAgedCare.

CHA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Suzanne Greenwood, is disappointed that the Government’s policy to increase the overall target provision ratio to 125 operational aged care places per 1,000 people aged 70 and over by 2021-22 and increasing the target ratio for home care packages to 45, announced in the 2012-13 Budget, has seen little progression in six years.

“Since 30 June 2011, the operational provision ratio for home care packages has increased by only 4.9 to 31.9 – well below the rate required to reach the target ratio of 45 by 2021-22,” said Mrs Greenwood. “And in addition to the slow growth towards the home care package target, the overall operational provision ratio covering both residential aged care beds and home care packages has increased by only 0.4 (from 112.8 at 30 June 2011 to 113.2 at 30 June 2016).”

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Catholic Health Australia congratulates new Ministers for Health and Indigenous Health and Aged Care

Catholic Health Australia (CHA) congratulates Hon Greg Hunt MP and Hon Ken Wyatt MP, today appointed Minister for Health and Sport and Minister for Indigenous Health and Aged Care respectively.

CHA looks forward to working with Minister Hunt and continuing to work with Minister Wyatt and the Turnbull Government to ensure that all Australians have equitable access to timely, affordable and quality health and aged care services, regardless of socio-economic status or geographic location.

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AMA on point joining call for greater investment in quality end of life care

Catholic Health Australia’s (CHA) CEO, Suzanne Greenwood, has welcomed the Australian Medical Association’s call for greater investment in quality end of life care services and a campaign to increase community awareness to better support healthy end of life choices.

“Representing Australia’s medical doctors, the AMA is an important authoritative and ethical voice in the assisted suicide debate,” said Mrs Greenwood. “Doctors are confronting the realities of caring for the terminally ill every day, and policy-makers should be taking note.”

Representing the single largest non-government provider grouping of hospital, community and aged care services in the country, CHA shares the AMA’s objective to achieve greater investment in quality end of life care to ensure every Australian has equitable access to affordable high-quality palliative care services.