Royal Commission hears of a “remarkable reduction” in quality checks on home care providers

The Royal Commission’s hearings into home care concluded on Wednesday, with Senior Counsel Assisting Peter Gray QC highlighting “a remarkable reduction in the number of quality reviews, and assessment contacts in home services”. This comes from data provided to the Commission from the sector’s watchdog, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC). In the documents, which we report on here, ACQSC indicates progress on monitoring home care settings has been moving, “more slowly than originally planned”. Commissioners heard the 181 reviews were conducted from April to June 2019, but that number has fallen to 24 reviews between July and September this year. ACQSC head Janet Anderson was asked about the reduction, despite the watchdog being allocated at least $6.5 million to hire more assessors. “Isn't it more the case that any program for increasing the level of compliance activity ... hasn't progressed more slowly, it's actually gone backwards?” Mr Gray asked. “There is no doubt that we have put additional effort into the work being undertaken ... in terms of a strengthened approach to understanding risk across the sector and undertaking targeted approaches to individual providers where we are concerned about the profile,” she replied. Mr Gray asked again if this indicated a decline in compliance activity since the previous year. “I think the point you are making is valid... regulatory activity in so far as you would include quality reviews and assessment contacts, as reported, have declined,” Ms Anderson said. The Royal Commission will reconvene on 14 September, with funding, financing and prudential regulation the big topic. We’ve covered today’s hearings in-depth in our newsletter The Daily COMMISSION. Click here for more information.