Residential Care Services Additional Payment (17/06/2004) (Cth)

Residential Care Services — Additional Payment

Aged Care (Consequential Provisions) Act 1997

I, JULIE BISHOP, Minister for Ageing, acting under subsection 60 (1) of the Aged Care (Consequential Provisions) Act 1997, specify that an additional amount is payable in respect of residential care services in respect of which residential care subsidy is payable under section 43-1 of the Aged Care Act 1997, in recognition of the circumstance specified in clause 2.

2.         The circumstance is that approved providers of residential care services are improving or maintaining the services to meet building standards and fire protection standards approved by the Minister, as described in the document entitled ‘Ten Year Forward Plan for all Certified Residential Aged Care Services’ issued by the Department of Health and Ageing in June 2004, a copy of which is set out in Schedule 1.

3.         The additional amount payable is $3 500 for each care recipient to whom residential care is provided through a residential care service, worked out on the basis of whichever is the greater of the following:

(a)   the number of care recipients to whom residential care was provided through the service on 31 March 2004, and in respect of whom residential care subsidy was payable;

(b)   the daily average number of care recipients to whom residential care was provided through the service during the payment period ending on 30 April 2004, and in respect of whom residential care subsidy was payable for that period.

Dated 17 June 2004

JULIE BISHOP

Minister for Ageing

Schedule 1           

TEN YEAR FORWARD PLAN FOR ALL CERTIFIED RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE SERVICES

Since 1999, for residential aged care services to be certified they must achieve a score of at least 19/25 for Section 1 (Safety) and a score of 60/100 overall as measured by the 1999 Certification Assessment Instrument.

Residential aged care services are also required to meet the targets set within the ten year forward plan for certification as agreed between the stakeholders of the aged care sector including approved providers and the Australian Government.

With all buildings and building works, Approved Providers are, irrespective of certification, required to meet the requirements of relevant building authorities, including State/Territory legislation, and any applicable provisions of the Building Code of Australia.

The ten year forward plan identifies targets for fire and safety to be met by 2003 and for privacy and space to be met by 2008.

Fire and Safety Targets

To meet the fire and safety targets a service must achieve a mandatory score of at least 19/25 for Section 1 of the 1999 Certification Assessment Instrument. 

Privacy and space targets

The privacy and space requirements for residential aged care buildings relate to the number of residents per room, and access to showers and toilets. The privacy and space requirements differ for buildings constructed after the introduction of the 1999 Instrument in July 1999 (new buildings) and buildings constructed prior to that date (existing buildings).

In meeting the requirements for the provision of toilet and bathing facilities, an Approved Provider must demonstrate that the distribution of these facilities across the service ensures an equitable access by all residents. This expectation applies to both ‘new’ and ‘existing’ residential aged care services.

New buildings

For new buildings there is to be an average for the whole residential aged care service of no more than 1.5 residents per room.

No individual room may accommodate more than 2 residents.

There is also a mandatory standard of no more than three residents per toilet, including those off common areas, and no more than four residents per shower or bath. Staff toilets and showers will not be counted when these averages are calculated.

Existing buildings

There is a requirement for a maximum of four residents in any room by 31 December 2008. It is expected however, that the aged care sector strive to meet the optimal targets of a maximum of two residents per room by this time.

There is also a mandatory standard of a maximum of six residents per toilet, including those off common areas, and a maximum of seven residents per shower.

Culturally appropriate care

Exceptions may be approved where the approved provider can make a case to the Department of Health and Ageing that a higher number of residents per room is culturally appropriate on an ongoing basis.