AMA submission to the Department of Health - Terms of Reference for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

The AMA welcomes the Prime Minister’s request for a Royal Commission into Aged Care Safety and Quality. The AMA supports the suggested Terms of Reference in general, however they should also include clinical issues in aged care. The AMA suggests the following additional Terms of Reference:

• The impact of fragmentation of State and Commonwealth health and aged care systems on the standard of care of older people.
• Access gaps to clinical care in all aged care settings.
• The suitability of funding models, and the level of funding, for the care of older people in the health and aged care systems.
• The suitability of the aged care workforce skills mix, and the case for a regulated registered nurse to resident ratio that is adequate and reflects the individual levels of care needed by older people living in residential aged care facilities.
• Quality of, and access to, specialist support and allied health in aged care settings, including palliative care, mental health care, and allied health services such as physiotherapy, audiometry, dentistry, optometry, and occupational therapy.
• The availability of, and need for, research and available data concerning the care of older people.