Hello everyone,
We have launched our new menu for the warmer months. We hope you all enjoy the summer meals and salads on offer.
There are so many changes taking place in the aged care sector right now, I hope you can bear with us as we navigate this process and we will do our very best to keep you informed. Most of you will have received information from us recently to explain the changes relevant to you.
We receive our funding from the Department of Health, Disability & Ageing under the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP). The Department has mandated that all Aged Care Providers must keep their clients informed, which unfortunately may mean that you receive the same information multiple times from multiple providers.
We must inform all CHSP clients:
- that we will be using their Aged Care ID when we report our data to the Department each month;
- about the new Statement of Rights which comes into effect with the new Aged Care Act;
- about the Code of Conduct which applies to all staff and volunteers (we introduced the Code in our previous newsletter and will continue to discuss it in this, and future newsletters);
- and give regular reminders about how to make complaints about Aged Care service providers.
- That there is also new Whistleblower legislation in place to protect anyone who speaks up about issues in Aged Care. A report can be made about a person or an organisation that hasn’t followed the Aged Care law.
For clients receiving our service through their Home Care Package there will be other changes taking place to your service arrangements as you transition to the Support at Home program but you will need to liaise with your provider about this, as we are only one small part of your overall service plan.
These might seem to be excessively bureaucratic changes, or quite minor (depending on your perspective!) The true focus of the Aged Care reform and all these associated changes is to ensure that Aged Care consumers are at the centre of everything that providers do.
If you ever feel that this is not the case, you are encouraged to speak-up! You have the right to say something if you are not happy with any Aged Care service you are receiving and you should never be treated differently by a provider for voicing your concerns.
Kerryn Williams
Manager