Extension of the timeframe for consultation on the new Aged Care Act

On 14 December 2023, the Commonwealth Government released the Exposure Draft of the Aged Care Bill 2023 (New Act) and commenced a consultation process.

Thomson Geer recently completed a 3 part webinar series which included a detailed analysis of the New Act, the issues arising for the aged care industry and its participants (including responsible persons) and proposals for amendments to the New Act. If you were unable to attend our webinar series, please contact our Health, Aged Care and Retirement Living team and we can provide you a copy of the recordings and the slides decks for any or all of the three sessions.

Extension of time for consultation

The Department of Health and Aged Care is currently undertaking a consultation process. The time for providing submissions has been extended to 7:00 pm (AEDT) on Friday 8 March 2024.

If you are considering making a submission on the New Act we can assist you and you now have a little more time to consider the changes. There has been no announced change the proposed date for commencement of the draft legislation which is currently proposed to occur on 1 July 2024. This date seems increasingly unrealistic.  

Transitional services

The New Act, if adopted in its current form, will result in substantial changes to the way in which aged care services are delivered and very significant additional responsibilities and potential penalties for responsible persons (a new concept to replace key personnel).

Transition to the new Aged Care Act, if adopted in its current form, will involve many challenges for aged care providers.

The Health, Aged Care and Retirement Living team at Thomson Geer have created a collection of service offerings to assist providers to adapt to their compliance obligations under the New Act.

Click here for a table listing the transitional services (including retainer arrangements, board and executive training, template advice on proposed changes and template policies and procedures).

This list includes details of the transition services Thomson Geer currently has available and we will continue to revise this list as the reform process evolves.

If you wish to discuss any of the items on the list please reach out to the Health, Aged Care and Retirement Living team. We are happy to discuss discounts for multiple items (e.g. multiple training session or policy documents etc) because we are committed to helping providers transition to the new arrangements in an economical and efficient way.

TG suite of standard aged care template documents

Our template documents are crafted specifically for aged care providers. The Thomson Geer Health, Aged Care and Retirement Living team have drafted each document taking into account the latest regulatory updates and industry best practice.

The documents are offered either as standalone templates or on an annual subscription basis. If a document is offered under a subscription we provide all necessary compliance updates to the documents over the course of the subscription period.

The suite of documents covers a wide range of areas critical to aged care compliance. They include options for residential care and home care and where relevant are offered for most states.  

Our template documents are comprehensive but also easily customisable to suit the unique needs of your aged care facility or home care service.

Click here for a table listing the template documents that are immediately available.

Compliance essentials

Thomson Geer also offer a Compliance Essentials Masterclass program for key personnel and directors of aged care providers. This program has been running since 2018 and more than 1700 aged care leaders have completed the program.

The program consists of a number of modules that will provide a detailed analysis of the aged care legislation and the approved provider responsibilities as well as key personnel responsibilities. Each module is presented by one of the partners in our Health, Aged Care and Retirement Living Team over 1.5 hours, online or via a recording at a time that suits you.

The Masterclass program is currently available to assist you with your current compliance obligations. Click here for a brochure about the program.

The Masterclass program will be revised and updated to meet the compliance needs for responsible persons under the New Act. When the  New Act is finalised we will start offering this revised program to providers and responsible persons. Contact us to book your place in the revised program now.

Legislation service

We also offer an aged care legislation service to residential and home care providers.

Our legislation service consists of an insight report which is released twice a year and includes:

1. a summary of all amendments to the aged care legislation, as relevant to residential and home care providers;
2. provides commentary and recommendations for approved providers to implement operational changes to achieve compliance in response to changes;
3. includes commentary on our latest experience and observations in dealing with the regulators particularly in response to legislative change;
4. includes commentary on what we see on the regulatory horizon.

Contact us

If we can assist you with drafting your consultation submission or any of the Thomson Geer transitional services or other items listed in this blog, please contact the Health, Aged Care and Retirement Living team at Thomson Geer.