Coaching and Consulting
Despite the sector’s many recent advances, the clinical governance systems in residential aged care “are lacking”, an Australian aged care CEO will tell an international conference.
Source: Call to urgently fix funding of clinical expertise in residential care – Australian Ageing Agenda
Hi Folks,
I am about to board a plane for Singapore where this week I will be speaking at the GCIC 2018 conference on integrated care.
My topic will look at where the industry may go next in its clinical governance responsibilities. I thought this was interesting to look at twenty years on from the introduction of the Aged Care Act in 1997.
I will share my full paper next week and explore some further ideas following the conference. In the Essay, I have strived to briefly describe the history of residential aged care in Australia and show how economic drivers that largely determine the funding of care may also be diminishing the clinical appropriateness of care. This can place care recipients, providers, and program funders alike potentially at risk of failure of service in financially constrained times.
The below is from Braemar’s Media Release:
Wayne Belcher (OAM) will speak at the Global Conference on Integrated Care at the start of February, where he will present an analysis of Australia’s aged care sector, two decades after the Aged Care Act (1997) was implemented.
His presentation will cover areas including the history of aged care in Australia and how it has transitioned from basic care homes to a major industry, a review of the care models currently being employed as deregulation takes effect, and a review of clinical governance.
International experts from the USA, UK, Canada and Hong Kong will be among the conference speakers, which will take place at the Resorts World Convention Centre in Singapore from 1- 3 February 2018.
Continue reading “Presenting at a Global Conference on Integrated Care”
I have been working back in the aged care sector since August 2016, and as many of you know I have been the Chief Executive Officer of Braemar since March 2017. A few weeks back I did seek comment from colleagues and visitors to my blog about these “end of life choice” matters. Thank you to those who have pondered, commented, and otherwise contributed on these things.
Pain, suffering, and distress are existential. The desire to end one’s own life is based on existential circumstances with perhaps the view that there is little hope for any future improvement in life’s outlook. The majority Christian view still is that Christ offers hope for an end to all suffering, but that happens at the natural end of this life – not a life brought to early closure. The endurance of pain and suffering can seem intolerable, and the grasp of hope seemingly so far away. We must develop ways in which we can assist to bridge the perceived gap between the existential pain and future hope by how we manage our pain, symptoms, and suffering and sense of loss; yet contemporaneously offer support to others afflicted by such suffering, grief and loss.
Continue reading “Report and Recommendations – Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices”
Hi folks,
Two quite important matters are being discussed by parliamentary committees here in Western Australia over the next twelve months or so, and I seek your advice, attitudes, and thoughts on these matters.
The first matter, and also being discussed by the New South Wales and Victorian Parliaments respectively, is around “end of life choices”.
I seek your advice, attitudes, and thoughts about this important matter.
I recently chaired an afternoon session for a “Law in Aged Care” seminar in Perth. It was a very useful day’s focus on the myriad of interaction that aged care providers have with the law daily. There can be matters associated with town planning, local government, occupational health and safety, fair work, accreditation and liability issues, and that might be just before morning tea …
In October 2017, the residential aged care sector reaches twenty years since the enactment of the Aged Care Act 1997 (Cth). As I recall, for Western Australians it started on Monday 1 October being a public holiday Monday. The then new Act was a mighty and useful change from the Aged and Disabled Persons Homes Act and the Health Act. Whilst it has not all been plain sailing the Act pertaining specifically to aged care has, in my view, served Australia well.
For months, if not years, we have been hearing about Western Australia’s fair share, or rather the lack of it, with respect to GST payments to the States form the GST raised by the Australian Government.
Western Australia, under the current arrangements, receives just $0.34 from each $1.00 raised from within WA from GST revenue to the Australian Government. It clearly seems unfair. Particularly clearly unfair by direct comparison:
Continue reading “How fair is the Western Australian GST share?”
Wayne Belcher, CEO of Aged care operator Braemar, says the proposed changes will place a burden on already stretched Aged Care providers.
“The proposal suggests that providers pay for both the existing accreditation process, as well as pay AAQCA to do one of their mandated Unannounced Visits. This is a cost of between $2,700 to $5,880 – per facility, per annum.”
“Braemar’s CEO Wayne Belcher has launched a blog concentrating on Aged Care news, thoughts and opinion. Located at wlbelcher.com the blog will share thoughts and ideas from Mr. Belcher’s decade’s long experience in Aged Care. It is illustrated by cartoonist Jason Chatfield, the artist of iconic comic strip Ginger Meggs.”
Source: Aged Care Online
The proposal to charge providers for unannounced accreditation visits is a cost too high for an industry-specific quality assurance system, writes Wayne Belcher.