AUSTRALIA | The latest year in review reporting has explored consumer complaints within the aged care sector, published by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has released its latest aged care complaints report - ‘Complaints about aged care – Year in review (July 2023-June 2024)’.
This is the third report published by the Commission dedicated to sharing insights and lessons from complaints about aged care services. This latest report explored information and data from thousands of respondants in 2023-24.
During the period, the Commission has seen an almost seven percent increase in complaints about residential aged care services compared with 2022-23. In home services, there has been a less than one percent increase in complaints compared with 2022-23.
In residential care, the most frequently raised issue was medication administration and management (six percent), followed by concerns about personal and oral hygiene (five percent), and personnel number/sufficiency (four percent).
In-home services, the most frequently raised issue was consultation and communication (15 percent), followed by fees and charges (11 percent) and management of finances (seven percent).
Complaints can be a powerful avenue through which care is improved not just for an individual, but also for everyone receiving care from that provider. The Commission draws on feedback as a key source of intelligence.
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, Janet Anderson, said the report highlights areas of aged care where problems can arise.
“The patterns and trends in complaints tells us where we need to target our monitoring and assessment of providers - holding them to account for addressing older people’s needs and preferences. We expect providers to use this report to examine their own performance and identify areas where they need to improve,“ the Commissioner said.
The Commission’s latest report includes information to support people receiving care, as well as information for providers on how to ensure their complaints management process is meaningful and effective. The report also includes information on the Commission’s complaint-handling performance.
Aged Care Complaints Commissioner, Louise Macleod, said complaints are an opportunity for aged care providers to improve.
“It is always concerning that a person is unhappy with their care or has had a bad experience. Complaints give people a chance to share their experiences and concerns about aged care services and show providers what is working well, what needs improvement, and what matters most to those using aged care in Australia,” said Macleod.
The Commission’s insight reports sit alongside other regular sector performance reporting, and are part of the Commission’s commitment to increase its openness and transparency. The Complaints Commissioner said that being open and transparent helps the community to have trust and confidence in aged care services.
“We want to be open and transparent about our data and performance. This is why we publish data on our website every month. We ask providers to join us in being more transparent about the complaints they receive about their services,” the Commissioner said.
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