Media release

5 April 2011

Time for dedicated Aged Care Ombudsman to enhance consumer protection

National Seniors Australia is calling for a dedicated and independent Aged Care Ombudsman to oversee the aged care system and ensure more openness and transparency for consumers.

Chief executive Michael O’Neill is speaking at the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Caring for Older Australians in Canberra today.

In response to the Commission’s draft report, National Seniors recommends appointing a dedicated and independent Aged Care Ombudsman who would report to Parliament and whose recommendations would be made public.

Feedback from members suggested an Aged Care Ombudsman would be a trusted intermediary between the various organisations in aged care provision and government and the aged care constituency including those receiving aged care, their families who interact with the system and workers within the system.

National Seniors is also recommending that within the Ombudsman’s office would be a Community Visitors Program (CVP), based on the model of the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) in Victoria.

These community visitors would be empowered by law to visit accommodation facilities at any time, unannounced, and monitor and then report to the dedicated Ombudsman on the adequacy of services provided, in the interests of residents and patients.

“People in residential aged care are fragile and vulnerable so there are good reasons why there should be more checks and balances, not fewer,’’ O’Neill said.

“Currently it’s commonplace for aged care homes to be given sufficient warning about a visit from the authorities. In discussions with our members from around Australia this has been one of the big concerns because they believe regulation needs to be tougher.”

National Seniors says the current aged care system has problems around staffing, quality of care, respite and how aged care is paid for.

“In recent years, there has been a significant deterioration in staffing levels in the aged care sector,’’ he said.

“Our submission includes one woman who noticed her elderly mother had been losing weight in the nursing home and it was later revealed staff had been taking away her meals before she even finished.

“Aged care is relevant to everyone in the community. Young people will want to be assured that their parents and their grandparents will be looked after so a good, decent and humane aged care system is in all our interests.”

Michael O’Neill will address the Productivity Commission in Parliament at 1:30pm today.

With around a quarter of a million members Australia-wide, National Seniors Australia is the consumer lobby for the over 50s. It is the fourth largest organisation of its type in the world.