Older Australians who have been overcharged for home care services by “rogue” businesses will be entitled to refunds under new federal government protections.
The changes affect people in the home care packages program and come amid ongoing pressure across the aged care sector. A report released on the same day as the federal budget found people were waiting an average of 12 months to enter residential aged care or receive support at home.
Despite Labor committing tens of billions of dollars to aged care, the system remains strained. Residential facilities are full as growing numbers of older Australians need assistance, while workforce shortages continue, driven in part by lower pay than in other healthcare roles.
Under the new measures, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will be able to order providers to repay customers when overcharging is identified. The commission will also gain powers to act against providers that fail to issue monthly statements and will be required to provide regular public reporting on investigations and enforcement action.
The government will also publish reports comparing support-at-home prices, allowing older Australians and their families to see how their provider measures up against others.
Aged Care Minister Sam Rae said the reforms responded directly to concerns raised by older Australians and their families about inflated fees charged by “rogue” operators.
“We’ve listened, and we’re acting,” he said on Tuesday.
“We’ll keep working methodically, in the interests of older people, to make sure Support at Home delivers what it promised: quality care, at fair prices, close to home.”
The government also plans to encourage providers to limit price rises to no more than two each year, aimed at helping older people better manage their package budgets.
Additional federal funding will go to advocacy group Council on the Ageing and the Older Persons Advocacy Network, a free support service, to strengthen assistance for people receiving care.
