“Unconscionable”: Albanese government under fire for HCP waits

The number of older Australians waiting for aged care is much higher than previously reported, a public hearing for the Senate Inquiry into aged care delivery has revealed.

The hearing, which took place in Canberra on Friday, pulled back the curtain on the state of aged care in Australia, as calls for the immediate release of at least 20,000 new home care packages continue to gain traction.

A representative of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing revealed to the Inquiry that 121,596 older people are currently waiting for an aged care assessment.

This figure, in addition to the 87,000 people waiting for the correct level of care, means there are over 200,000 older people living without the care they need.

“We are alarmed to discover that the number of older Australians waiting for crucial aged care in their own homes is far higher than previously thought,” Ageing Australia chief Tom Symondson said.

“Providers have told us time and again that they have the capacity to care for many more older people, but this simply isn’t possible without more home care packages.”

The Inquiry also heard that nearly 5000 older Australians died last financial year while waiting for the appropriate level of home care.

“We must urgently address the growing waiting list, both those awaiting a package and the substantial number of people who are waiting to get an assessment,” Mr Symondson said.

“We’ve been calling for the immediate release of 20,000 home care packages before 1 November. We’ve also been calling for a frontloading of the 83,000 packages to be released from 1 November, so that we can start clearing the waiting list as soon as possible. Older Australians need to know that when they seek care, it will be available to them.”

Greens Senator and Inquiry chair Penny Allman-Payne said Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae has “misled older people” on the number of home care packages being released by the federal government each week, as the Inquiry learned no new packages have been released since June, meaning those that become available do so because a person has died.

“Under this system you have to wait for someone else to die or move into residential aged care before you can get support at home. It’s unconscionable,” she said.

“Older people are not commodities, they must be treated with respect, dignity and care, but this system resembles a cattle yard with an indifferent Minister at the gate. 

The Senator went on to say that there is “literally no reason” why more home care packages cannot be released prior to the commencement of the new Aged Care Aged on November 1.

“The wait list for home care has exploded out to 200,000, a figure that the Government was desperate to hide. The minister must front up, release more packages, and explain himself,” she said.

“The Greens are calling on Labor to urgently release enough home care packages for everyone who needs one, and they could do it this week in the Senate.”

The Senate Inquiry into aged care delivery is due to report its findings on September 15.