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127
Wednesday 10 July 2024
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Aged care changes A MEMBER of Kingston Council’s AccessCare team at work. AccessCare will no longer provide aged care assessments in Kingston. Picture: Supplied
Aged care changes on the way Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au KINGSTON Council says it is prepared to handle “abrupt” changes to aged care assessments. The federal government is in the process of reforming the aged care sector. It has been making changes to the industry in response to a Royal Commission which handed down its final report in 2021. Among the reforms are changes to the administration of the Regional As-
sessment Service. Previously the federal Department of Health and Aged Care engaged the Victorian Department of Health to deliver the RAS, which then subcontracted the responsibility to Kingston Council for local services. AccessCare, which is managed by Kingston Council, was the contracted provider of aged care assessments in the Kingston municipality. That contract expired last week, and three external organisations have been engaged to take on the assessment process.
Kingston mayor Jenna Davey-Burns said that council is working hard to minimise disruptions while the trio of new organisations takes over aged care assessments. “Whilst these changes have come abruptly, Kingston has made sure our staff are available to help with the transition by the Commonwealth Government away from council-led AccessCare services,” she said. “AccessCare will continue to take on new clients, and our team is also still available to support members of the community to navigate My Aged
Care and arrange an assessment. “Kingston is the largest provider of aged care services of any local council in Victoria, and we remain dedicated to providing home care services for our community, a service our clients rely on for their quality of life. As leaders in this vital space, it is our absolute duty to invest in supporting our older residents, delivering high quality home care services and ensuring Kingston remains a city where people can age well into the future.” Assessments previously provided by
AccessCare will now be handled by a separate Western-Australian based organisation called Access Care Network Australia, APM (Serendipity), and Aspire 4 Life. They will administer a single assessment system resulting from a merger of the Regional Assessment Service and Aged Care Assessment Teams. AccessCare will continue to offer inhome care services to Kingston residents. For more information on the changes call AccessCare on 1300 819 200.