Industry Update, December 2023
Hi Everyone,
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their ongoing support to me and the development of AN ACC systems and processes. Your feedback has been invaluable to guide the changes made by the Department of Health and Ageing in AN ACC for 2023 and beyond.
It has been another very big year, and I am sure you are aware the momentum will not be slowing down in 2024 with further changes planned by the Government. I will continue to organize and run networking meetings, the frequency may reduce to quarterly now we need to focus a little more on the new Aged Care Act and quality standards. In these networking meetings I will provide updates from the Aged Care Funding Reform Committee.
Key takeaways for 2023:
Always have a tool for calculating your own care minutes and AN ACC funding.
Make sure you are cross checking your payment statements to PRODA at least quarterly to pick up any mistakes or back payments owed.
Challenge any AN ACC class you don’t agree with and make sure you are keeping records of the AMO assessors name and what residents they reviewed.
The Department of Health and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will monitor and audit your care minutes separately with differing approaches, as long as you maintain clear documentation you will be OK if not compliant with targets.
IHACPA will continue to inform the Government on recommendations to changes both to AN ACC pricing as well as NWAU.
The Government acknowledge additional burden for organisations to gather increasing amounts of data however this is essential to inform appropriate funding and policy development.
All organisations should be sourcing alternative funding arrangements to support their viability into 2024.
ATACA
I will be winding down K Peace Consulting and moving all services across to ATACA (Advisors to Aged Care Australia) and will cease delivering education and training in 2024. The development of AN ACC training modules with etrainu is intended to replace all training I have offered previously, and it is also cheaper than hiring me a few times a year. I strongly recommend you consider these modules as an ongoing training pathway to embed documentation skill in all nursing and care staff. I have attached the brochure for the modules and please contact me if you have any questions or would like a demonstration or discussion.
ATACA will continue to grow and partner with industry experts to provide support that is needed, cost effective and relevant to our industry. If you would like to become a services provider, please let me know and we can discuss suitability.
Through ATACA I have also partnered with Workforce Analytics who provide rostering solutions that do not require ongoing subscriptions and are much more cost effective than some other industry metric providers. Also reach out to me via email if you would like a demonstration of their product to consider for your business.
More recently ATACA have included support with moving to the new standards in both policy and processes and need partnerships to further expand support to organisations in this area. If you or someone you know may be interested again, let me know.
I wish everyone a safe, and happy holiday. I hope you get a chance to spend time with those you love, and who love you to celebrate or spend time with each other.
My contact details are below and please do not hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or concerns, I will continue representing your feedback to the Department of Health through conversations and committee meetings.
karina@ataca.co
Photo by Takehiro Tomiyama on Unsplash
