Performance Information for Administered Items -
Residential care, including:
permanent and respite, high and low, residential places for people assessed as needing them, including special needs groups;
capital assistance and other support for homes with identified needs;
accreditation of the care standards of aged care homes by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency; and
information services and support for the rights of residents, including through the Complaints Resolution Scheme and the Commissioner for Complaints.
Measure
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Result
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Quantity:
More than 160,000 residential places allocated by 30 June 2003.
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Target met. 169,400 residential places were allocated by 30 June 2003.
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More than $30 million in capital grants advertised during 2002-03.
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Target met. Capital grants of up to $35.6 million were advertised in the 2002 Aged Care Approvals Round.
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Quality:
The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency monitors the performance of all services against Accreditation Standards and the service improvement plan, including through spot checks and support visits.
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Measure met. In 2002-03, the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency undertook 1,965 accreditation site visits, 68 review audits and 1,761 other contacts including spot checks, support contacts and desk audits.
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Less than 5% of complaints referred to the Commissioner for Complaints for review of the process.
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Target met. Less than 3% of complaints were referred to the Commissioner.
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Efficiency:
Increase in the average cost to the Australian Government per resident is no greater than inflation plus growth in client dependency.
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Not met. Average of Australian Government payments directly attributable to individual residents rose by 5.8% during the year. This was more than the sum of inflation (2.3% as measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics Consumer Price Index) and the increase in client dependency (0.82%).
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Community care and support for carers, including:
Home and Community Care (HACC) services;
Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs) and community care establishment grants;
Day Therapy Centres and other support services for frail older Australians and people with disabilities, including Safe at Home, Assistance with Care and Housing for the Aged;
support services for carers, including Carer Respite Centres and Carer Resource Centres; and
information services, including Carelink.
Measure
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Result
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Quantity:
An increase in the number of services provided, or people assisted, by HACC services.
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Target met. The HACC program provided services to an estimated 700,000 clients during 2002-0374 compared with approximately 650,000 clients during 2001-02.75
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Quality:
An increased number of HACC services appraising their performance against agreed standards.
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Target met. The number of HACC services appraising their performance against agreed standards increased to 949, compared with 620 in 2001-02.
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Quantity:
More than 27,000 CACPs by 30 June 2003.
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Target met. There were 27,996 operational CACPs as at June 2003.
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An increase in the number of services provided, or people assisted, by Day Therapy Centres and other support services.
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Target met. The number of funded Day Therapy Centres (i.e. services) increased from 149 in 2001-02 to 153 in 2002-03. New funding agreements in 2003-04 require services to report on the number of clients assisted.
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An increase in the number of services provided, or people assisted, by community services delivered through the National Respite for Carers Program.
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Target met. The total number of carers assisted by the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres increased from an estimated 38,250 in 2001-02 to an estimated 77,193 during 2002-03.
The total number of carers assisted by respite services was an estimated 20,200 in 2002-03.
The total number of carers assisted by Commonwealth Carer Resource Centres increased from an estimated 29,500 in 2001-02 to an estimated 32,715 in 2002-03. An estimated 264,532 items of published information were distributed by the Carer Information and Support program.
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An increase in the number of services provided, or people assisted, by Carelink.
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Target met. Client contacts with the Commonwealth Carelink network increased from 10,300 in May 2002 to 13,000 in May 2003.
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Ageing support and strategies, including:
implementation of elements of the National Strategy for an Ageing Australia including facilitating a whole of government approach to ageing matters;
flexible care options for rural and remote services; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services; Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) packages; and Innovative Pool services;
assistance for older people with dementia and their carers through the Dementia Education and Support Program;
assistance to eligible clients through the Continence Aids Assistance Scheme;
support for awareness promotion, research projects and a helpline under the National Continence Management Strategy;
client assessment by Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT) and referral to appropriate services; and
information for service providers and consumers, including newsletters, brochures, fact sheets, mailfaxes, manuals.
Measure
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Result
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Quality:
Improved understanding of ageing matters in the community as indicated by periodic attitudinal surveys to monitor the level of community awareness of ageing issues and the value and contribution of older people.
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The next phase of market research will be conducted in 2003-04.
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Improved consultation and collaboration among Australian Government departments on ageing policy.
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Measure met. Collaborative work has been undertaken on services and programs for older people, mature age employment, and ageing research. For example, the Department convened an Inter-Departmental Committee to produce communication products in electronic and hard copy formats on Australian Government services available to older Australians.
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Maintaining the low level of appeals against ACAT assessment decisions as a proportion of the total number of assessments.
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Measure met. There were 34 appeals against the 195,967 assessments made in 2001-02. This is slightly less than the 38 appeals against the 193,930 assessments made in 2000-01.76
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75% of services accredited for less than three years achieve longer accreditation periods.
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Target met. 80% of services accredited for less than three years as at 30 June 2002 achieved a longer accreditation period by 30 June 2003.
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Less than 5% of complaints referred to the Commissioner for Complaints for review of the process.
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Target met. Less than 3% of complaints were referred to the Commissioner.
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Quantity:
More than 400 places in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Services; more than 1,300 flexible aged places in 63 Multipurpose Services;
200 places made available for EACH services in 2002-03;
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Target met. There are more than 500 places in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Services. 2,130 places were allocated to Multipurpose Services (83 Multipurpose Services are currently operational). Target met. 160 new EACH places were allocated, consistent with the 2001-02 Ministerial decision on places to be made available in 2002-03. (The figure of 200, which appeared in the 2002-03 Portfolio Budget Statements, was incorrect.)
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200 places made available through the Innovative Pool in 2002-03.
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Target met. 496 flexible care places were allocated to 20 projects through the Aged Care Innovative Pool 2002-03. 182 flexible care places were allocated to seven pilot sites through the Retirement Villages Care Pilot.
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Increased number of people assisted under the Dementia Education and Support Program (in the 2001 calendar year there were 27,489 contacts).
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Measure met. There were approximately 25,441 contacts to the Dementia Education and Support Program in 2002-03. There were also approximately 10,800 contacts involving support groups and community education sessions partially funded through this program and other sources. (The figure of 27,489 for 2001 incorrectly included support programs funded by State Government).
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Meeting demands under the Continence Aids Assistance Scheme, estimated to be 16,500 clients in the 2002-03 year.
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Approximately 18,300 people were assisted under the Continence Aids Assistance Scheme.
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Maintain or increase the number of ACAT assessments conducted.
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Measure met. The total number of assessments in 2001-02 was 195,967 compared with 193,930 in 2000-01.77
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All service providers and major stakeholders are provided with regular information, including newsletters, mailfaxes, updates to manuals and information products (consumers can receive these on request).
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Measure met. Four editions of the quarterly newsletter Ageing Australia were distributed to over 10,000 stakeholders. Three editions of the new monthly newsletter Aged Care Update were distributed to over 2,000 stakeholders. Fifty mailfax/email circulars were sent to all aged care service providers. Chapter 5 of the Documentation and Accountability Manual was revised and sent to all service providers. Seven brochures and a range of fact sheets and booklets are published in English. One booklet and two fact sheets are available in 13 languages. 2.3 million aged care information documents were distributed. The Aged and Community Care Information Line took 66,985 calls. Regular editions of the Payment Essentials newsletter were distributed to all residential aged care providers. Provider transaction reports were issued monthly to providers that had had changes to residential appraisals or reviews.
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Effectiveness:
Implementation of the National Continence Management Strategy’s awareness promotion, research projects and helpline.
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Measure met. In 2002-03 the National Continence Helpline service received 14,561 calls. The National Public Toilet Map database continues to be updated, currently providing information on more than 13,000 public toilets throughout Australia. Of 47 research projects funded under the NCMS grants program, 30 have been completed to date. In 2003, over 50 applications were received for funding under the Grants Program. Many of these propose to build upon previously funded successful research.
| Performance Information for Departmental outputs -
Policy advice in relation to:
effective and efficient residential care services;
implementation of service standards including certification, accreditation and monitoring of services;
effective and efficient community care services;
equitable allocation and targeting of services;
support for clients and carers;
Commonwealth-State relations in the aged care field;
long term trends and developments related to population ageing and policy settings affecting older people; and
national issues of concern to, and affecting the well-being of, older people.
Measure
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Result
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Quality:
A high level of satisfaction of the Ministers and Ministers’ Offices with the relevance, quality and timeliness of policy advice, Question Time Briefs, Parliamentary Questions on Notice and briefings.
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Policy advice relating to ageing, residential and community aged care was timely, relevant and succinct. Responses to Question Time Briefs, Parliamentary Questions on Notice and Briefing Requests were of good quality.
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Agreed time frames are met for responses to ministerial correspondence, Question Time Briefs, Parliamentary Questions on Notice and ministerial requests for briefing.
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Agreed time frames were met for:
83% of ministerial correspondence;
97% of Question Time Briefs;
89% of Parliamentary Questions on Notice; and
83% of ministerial requests for briefing.
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A high level of stakeholder satisfaction with the quality and timeliness of departmental/portfolio inputs to national policy, planning and strategy development and implementation.
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Measure met. The Department has received positive comments on its input to policy processes and discussions during the:
Community Care Review;
Review of the Resident Classification Scale;
Review of Pricing Arrangements in Residential Aged Care;
work of the Minister for Ageing’s stakeholder consultations on the challenges and opportunities of population ageing;
Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council Working Group on Care of Older Australians;
presentation of discussion papers for the Aged Care Advisory Committee Aged Care Workforce Committee; and
Expert Forum on Ageing Research, December 2002.
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A high level of stakeholder satisfaction with relevance, quality and timeliness of information and education services.
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Measure met. Publications were revised regularly to meet consumer information needs. 99.9% of callers expressed satisfaction with responses received through the Aged Care Information Line.
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Timely production of evidence-based policy research to inform and engage stakeholders in meaningful policy and program discussions.
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The Department participated in the evidence-based research activities of the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council Working Group on Care of Older Australians.
To engage stakeholders in policy development, evidence-based discussion papers were produced for the Aged Care Advisory Committee, including on medical services in aged care homes and on the provision of innovative services at the acute care/aged care interface.
Stakeholders have had the opportunity to contribute to policy development and implementation processes through the Aged Care Workforce Committee, its sub- committees and other working parties.
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Opportunity for national industry and consumer peak organisations to participate in the development and implementation of national policy through consultative groups such as the Aged Care Working Group.
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Measure met. Consumers, care providers and other stakeholders are represented on the National Advisory Committee on Ageing.
The Aged Care Advisory Committee replaced the Aged Care Working Group. It met three times in the year. Membership was expanded to include broader representation by professional and consumer groups. The Committee is an avenue for consultation and policy advice on all issues relating to the Australian Government’s aged care programs. Several sub- committees address specific issues.
The key national aged care sector, consumer peak organisations and other stakeholders are members of the Aged Care Workforce Committee and its sub- committees and working groups. These provide opportunities to contribute to policy development and implementation processes.
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Quantity:
3,300-3,400 responses to ministerial correspondence, 600-700 Question Time Briefs, 30-50 Parliamentary Questions on Notice and 670-690 ministerial requests for substantial briefings.
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There were approximately:
2,192 items of ministerial correspondence items processed;
626 Question Time Briefs prepared;
18 Parliamentary Question on Notice; and
357 ministerial briefings prepared.
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Program management, including:
monitoring and processing payments to States and Territories, service providers and clients;
financial management and reporting on Outcome 3;
review and adjustment of legislation as required;
processing applications for financial hardship assistance;
implementation of Quality Care Principles;
Resident Classification Scale (RCS) regulatory audits;
monitoring the aged care providers for compliance with standards;
certification of aged care homes and monitoring of standards of physical quality;
provision of information to service providers including on standards and business operations matters;
provision of information to consumers about aged care services;
resolution of appeals from pre-Aged Care Structural Reform funding arrangements;
ongoing consultation with providers and review of the level of regulation;
promoting excellence and best practice; and
developing elements of the National Strategy for an Ageing Australia relevant to the Health and Ageing portfolio.
Measure
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Result
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Quality:
A high level of stakeholder satisfaction with the timely development and implementation of national strategies as indicated by:
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periodic attitudinal surveys to monitor the level of community awareness of ageing issues and the value and contribution of older people; and
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Measure met. Study last conducted in 2000. Scheduled follow up survey to be undertaken in 2003-04.
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opportunity for national industry and consumer peak organisations to participate in the development and implementation of national policy though for example, the National Aged Care Accreditation and Compliance Forum and the Aged Care Working Group.
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The indicator was addressed by consultations with stakeholders through a range of consultative bodies including the Aged Care Advisory Committee, the Aged Care Officials meeting (which has key representatives from each State and Territory and the Australian Government on matters relating to aged care), and a consultative committee on the Retirement Villages Care Pilots (a 2002-03 Budget Initiative).
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Budget predictions are met and actual cash flows vary less than 5% from predicted cash flows.
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Target met.
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100% of payments are made accurately and on time or payments are made in accordance with negotiated service standards as indicated by:
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Aged care homes and Community Aged Care Package providers submit monthly claims in arrears to the Department for payments relating to care recipients.
In 2002-03, 99.6% of claims were paid within 28 days of receipt.
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Commonwealth Carelink services (including Centrelink) fulfil the conditions set out in their contracts;
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Measure met.
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Centrelink services fulfil the conditions set out in their contract relating to resident income status;
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Measure met.
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appeals against RCS regulatory audits processed within 90 days;
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Measure met.
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breaches of acts investigated and appropriate action taken;
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Measure met. All breaches were investigated and appropriate action taken. Regulatory action included 15 Notices of Decision to Impose Sanctions against 13 Approved Providers and 128 Notices of Non- Compliance.
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all approved providers monitored for compliance with legislation;
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Measure met. The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency monitors ongoing compliance with the Accreditation Standards through site audits, support contacts and spot checks. This ensures that all approved providers are monitored in a three-year accreditation cycle. The Department also undertakes spot checks and site visits to ensure approved providers comply with relevant legislation.
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20,000 RCS audits conducted in 2002-03;
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Not met. Approximately 12,200 audits were conducted in 2002-03 with annualised direct savings of $30.4 million. The under-achievement resulted from the continued use of review officers for other compliance activity. Review officers must be specialist aged care nurses of which there is a general shortage.
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internal reviews are conducted of all requests for RCS reviews. External Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) appeals on RCS audits responded to within AAT timeframes;
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Three of the four cases on hand at 1 July 2002 have been decided. The remaining case is awaiting hearing.
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in 100% of cases of imposition of sanctions, information is provided to the consumers of those services.
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Measure met. All residents of homes under sanction were written to by the Department regarding the imposition of sanctions (with the exception of one home where the sanction did not relate to residents). Details of all sanctions are provided on the Department’s internet site.
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A high level of stakeholder satisfaction with relevance, quality and timeliness of information and education services as indicated by:
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Measure met.
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successful maintenance of formal and informal partnerships with other departments, peak organisations, the private sector and consumer organisations to promote health and positive ageing;
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The Department continued to work with the Council on the Ageing—National Seniors Association partnership and other peak organisations on the implementation of the National Strategy for an Ageing Australia. All key stakeholders are members of the Aged Care Workforce Committee and have readily participated in a range of sub-committees and working groups.
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successful promotion of positive images of older people and aged care in the media and the community in general as indicated by stakeholder feedback;
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Promotional activities undertaken by the Department during 2002-03 continued to focus on promoting positive images of older people including the Senior Australian of the Year Award, sponsorship of the Master Builders Australia National Lifestyle Housing for Seniors Award and major upgrade of the Positive Images of Older Persons Photographic Library.
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residential care service providers are provided with information on quality standards and business operations and service providers are provided with brochures, fact sheets, mailfaxes, and other information products they request. Consumers can receive this information on request.
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Information and publications were made readily available on demand through the Department’s internet site or in response to requests through the Aged and Community Care Information Line.
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Quantity:
23 funding agreements with States and Territories.
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Eight HACC Amending Agreements were ongoing and eight agreements for the operation of the Aged Care Assessment program were in place with States and Territories for the 2002-03 year.
Funding agreements for Psychogeriatric Units, previously made with States and Territories, are now made directly with service providers.
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An estimate of 450 hardship applications processed.
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Four hundred and two hardship applications were processed as there was a lower than expected number of applications.
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