My Aged Care

My Aged Care
Name	My Aged Care
Type	National aged care assessment and referral service
Established	2013
Jurisdiction	Australia
Parent agency	Australian Government Department of Health
Headquarters	Canberra
Website	My Aged Care

My Aged Care is the Australian Government’s central intake and information service for older Australians seeking aged care services. It links older people, families and carers to assessment, support pathways and service providers across the aged care sector, operating alongside national programs and state systems. The service interfaces with national policy frameworks, statutory regulators and service delivery organisations to coordinate referrals, assessments and consumer access to subsidised home care and residential care.

Overview

My Aged Care functions within a landscape that includes the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, the Home Care Packages Program, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and state and territory health departments such as NSW Health, Victorian Department of Health, Queensland Health, Western Australia Department of Health, South Australian Department for Health and Wellbeing and Tasmania Department of Health. It was established in the context of reforms shaped by reviews including the Aged Care Sector Committee deliberations, the Productivity Commission (Australia) inquiries, and the Allen Consulting Group reports. National initiatives like the Stronger Communities Programme and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan intersect with aged care outreach. Key stakeholders include peak bodies such as Aged & Community Services Australia, COTA Australia, National Seniors Australia, Council on the Ageing (COTA), provider groups like Anglicare Australia, UnitingCare Australia, BaptistCare, Bupa, Estia Health, Japara Healthcare and consumer advocates appearing before the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

Services and Support

The service offers information, referral and triage for pathways that include Commonwealth Home Support Programme, Home Care Packages Program, short-term restorative care, transition care and access to residential aged care facilities operated by providers such as Aveo Group, Japara Healthcare, Mercy Health (Australia), Benetas and faith-based providers like St Vincent's Health Australia and Little Company of Mary. It facilitates assessments conducted by Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs)/Regional Assessment Services aligned with state-run assessment frameworks used by agencies such as the Northern Territory Department of Health and ACT Health. My Aged Care coordinates with allied services including Commonwealth Home Support Program providers, primary care networks linked to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, community nursing providers like Silver Chain Group, palliative care services such as Palliative Care Australia, and multicultural services including programs from Migrants Resource Centre and Multicultural Aged Care providers.

Eligibility and Assessment

Eligibility pathways reference legislation and policy documents overseen by the Australian Parliament, Ministerial portfolios such as the Minister for Aged Care (Australia), and statutory instruments guided by the Aged Care Act 1997. Assessments are conducted by multidisciplinary teams including nurses, allied health professionals and assessors trained under frameworks promoted by bodies like the Royal College of Nursing Australia and advisory groups such as the Aged Care Sector Committee. Assessments consider clinical, functional and social needs with input from primary care clinicians including GPs affiliated to networks like Healthdirect Australia and community pharmacists represented by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

Registration and Access Process

Users register via national contact points that interact with call centres and online portals modelled against digital services standards promoted by the Digital Transformation Agency and informed by inquiries such as reports from the Australian National Audit Office. The intake process connects consumers with assessment teams and provider directories that include large-scale providers like BUPA Australia & New Zealand, not-for-profits such as UnitingCare, and smaller regional providers in areas like Far North Queensland, Gold Coast, Queensland, Hunter Region, Barwon Health catchments, and Northern Tasmania. Links to consumer advocacy organisations such as Choice (organisation), Consumer Action Law Centre and Advocacy for the Aged inform navigation supports.

Funding and Cost Structure

Funding mechanisms align with subsidy schedules under the Home Care Packages framework, pricing principles regulated through instruments tied to the Aged Care Act 1997 and overseen by the Aged Care Pricing Commissioner functions embedded within the Department of Health and Aged Care. Fees include means-tested contributions akin to arrangements considered by the Productivity Commission (Australia) and reforms following recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Private contributions, refundable accommodation deposits (RADs) used in residential care policy debates, and market-based service fees interact with subsidy payments from the Australian Government and targeted funding for Indigenous services coordinated with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

Governance and Regulation

Governance involves the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, statutory oversight by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, and accountability frameworks scrutinised by bodies including the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Australian National Audit Office, and parliamentary committees such as the Senate Community Affairs References Committee. Regulatory standards draw upon international comparisons with systems in countries like the United Kingdom (for example NHS England and Care Quality Commission), Canada (provincial health authorities), and New Zealand health and disability services. Intergovernmental coordination occurs through forums such as the Council on Federal Financial Relations and ministerial councils including the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council.

Criticisms and Reforms

Critiques have emerged in reviews like the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and reports by the Productivity Commission (Australia), the Australian National Audit Office, and advocacy NGOs including ACOSS and COTA Australia. Issues cited include access delays, assessment backlogs in regions serviced by agencies like Medicare Local predecessors, transparency of fees compared with recommendations by the Senate Select Committee on Aging, workforce shortages discussed by unions such as the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and Australian Services Union, and digital accessibility concerns raised relative to standards from the Digital Transformation Agency. Reform proposals reference funding models debated in parliament alongside legislation such as amendments to the Aged Care Act 1997 and policy packages proposed by successive Ministers for Aged Care, with implementation monitored by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and evaluated in follow-up studies by the Productivity Commission (Australia) and independent researchers at institutions like the University of Sydney, Australian National University, Monash University, and University of Melbourne.

Category:Aged care in Australia