Illustrations and tables Table 1 – Aged Care Principles Table 2 – Aged care statutory bodies and offices Table 3 – Defining demographic data Table 4 – Risk mitigation strategies Table 5 – Shortened terms Table 6 – Glossary of terms used in the Guide Figure 1 – Options for meeting your community’s aged care needs
Sanctions that have been imposed on the applicant. The applicant’s involvement in receivership, voluntary administration or liquidation. The applicant’s breaches of statutory obligations. The applicant’s involvement in criminal activity. Applicants must provide a national company criminal history check and a police check for all key personnel. These checks must be less than 90 days old. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) or an accredited CrimTrac agency provide these checks at a small cost. GO TO> GO TO> GO TO> The remaining questions in the form relate to the applicant’s experience and understanding of aged care services and the obligations of operating an aged care service. In answering the questions the applicant should frame the answers, where applicable, in terms of its suitability to provide the type/s of care sought in the application. Applicants with documentation that support claims made, such as reports that indicate the organisation has complied with the Home Care Standards, should attach this to the application. 9.2.1 Understanding the approved provider application – the organisation Set out below are some examples of the questions that may be asked and some guidance about responding to them. Describe the applicant’s experience, if any, in providing aged care services under the Act, or care services in other supported environments or in any other sector. This example question asks for information about the applicant’s suitability in providing aged care services (or any type of care in a ‘supported environment’). Many CALD organisations will not have provided aged care services previously so the response should outline other business experience. This business experience could be in a: Related aged care industry ‘supported environment’ where older people are assisted with their needs (day care, flexible care, HACC programmes,
This list is not exhaustive. It indicates the sort of matters your response should consider. Reference: The Act, Division 9 and Chapter 4 Accountability Principles Investigation Principles Quality of Care Principles Residential Care Subsidy Principles User Rights Principles Describe what steps the applicant will implement to ensure the ongoing suitability of its key personnel. Approved providers have an obligation to ensure that the organisation’s key personnel are not disqualified individuals (refer to section 10A-1 of the Act) and are suitable to provide care (refer to section 8-3 of the Act). This example question requires the applicant to demonstrate what arrangements will be in place to meet this obligation. In doing so, the applicant will need to demonstrate an understanding of the Sanctions Principles. Examples may be: What are the policies and practices at the time key personnel are recruited? What governance arrangements are in place to ensure ongoing suitability of key personnel? It is important for the approved provider to continually monitor the suitability of key personnel. Please note there may be situations where key personnel could be impacted by their role as key personnel of other aged care providers. Take this into account when responding to this question. Reference: The Act, Division 10A, Division 54 and Division 63 Quality of Care Principles Sanctions Principles Describe the applicant’s experience, if any, in ensuring that care recipients’ rights are protected under the Act, or in care services in other supported environments or in any other sector. This example question deals with the applicant’s history of protecting care recipient rights in aged care or in another industry. These rights are far reaching and include: Appropriate charging of care recipient fees or accommodation payments. Security of tenure for home care places or residential aged care places.
‘Not well’ ‘Not at all’ Proportion refers to the percentage of people identified under the relevant census characteristic or variable; read it in conjunction with ‘Number’. Use proportion (percentage) to make comparisons between areas, population groups or when measuring intercensal percentage change. However, it is important to always consider the base figure (or n) on which the proportion is calculated. Provided unpaid assistance is under the ‘Unpaid Assistance to a Person with a Disability’ variable. It records people who, at least in the two weeks prior to census night, spent time providing unpaid care or assistance to family members or others due to an aged related disability. Registered marital status records a person’s formal registered marital status. The variables in this characteristic include: ‘Never Married’ ‘Widowed’ ‘Divorced’ ‘Separated’ ‘Married’ Relationship in household is the category that describes the relationship of each person in a family to the family reference person or, where a person is not part of a family, that person’s relationship to the household reference person. The variables (relationships) grouped under this characteristic include dependents, non-related family members or partners. ‘Lone Person’ identifies people living alone. Religious affiliation records a person’s religious affiliation. In general, the selected main variables for CALD populations include ‘Buddhism’, ‘Hinduism’, ‘Islam’ and ‘Judaism’. While these religions can very broadly be linked to CALD populations, it must be considered that ‘Christianity’ is significant for particular CALD birthplace groups. Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability is the characteristic that records people who provided unpaid care, help or assistance to family members or others because of a disability, a long-term illness or problems related to old age. This also includes those in receipt of a Carer Allowance or Carer Payment and excludes work done through a voluntary organisation or group. Under this characteristic, the main variable focused on is ‘Provided unpaid assistance’. 15 Glossary Table 6: Glossary of terms used in the Guide
Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) or Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS) ACATs are teams of health professionals who assess the needs of older people and approve them to receive home care places, residential aged care places and transition care. An ACAT assessor may be a doctor, nurse, social worker and/or other health professional. Aged care facility An aged care facility is a special-purpose facility that provides accommodation and other types of support, including assistance with day-to-day living, intensive forms of care, and assistance towards independent living, to frail and aged residents. Facilities are accredited by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency to receive funding from the Australian Government through residential aged care subsidies. Aged Care Commissioner The Aged Care Commissioner can review certain decisions made by the Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) and examine complaints about the Scheme’s processes for handling matters under the Complaints Principles. The Commissioner can also examine complaints about the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency’s conduct. Aged Care Financing Authority The Aged Care Financing Authority provides independent advice to the Australian Government about pricing and financing issues based on information gathered through consulting consumers. This authority also provides independent advice about the aged care and finance sectors. Aged care planning region An aged care planning region is a specific area of a state or territory. New aged care places are allocated to specific aged care planning regions and must be delivered within those boundaries. Aged Care Principles The Aged Care Principles 2014 are the subordinate legislation of the Act. Aged Care Pricing Commissioner The Aged Care Pricing Commissioner approves certain accommodation payments and extra service fees. Aged care services Aged care services provide care and services in an older person’s home or in a residential setting. Some aged care providers deliver services for groups of older people in a community environment. These services are usually planned activity groups such as centre based respite, community access groups, respite services. Ageing in place Ageing in place is a process where an older person’s care