Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation

In September 2018, the federal government announced a Royal Commission into the aged care sector. The announcement came ahead of a damning two-part Four Corners investigation into elder neglect and poor conditions in aged care, as well as years of campaigning by the ANMF to fix systemic issues preventing nursing and care staff from delivering safe best practice care.

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will focus on residential aged care, home care and dementia care, as well as the care provided to young people with disabilities who live in residential aged care facilities. The issues the Royal Commission has been instructed to investigate are broad, and include the quality of aged care services, how best to deliver these services (including workforce investment) and systems to ensure high quality care is delivered. Visit https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/Pages/Terms-of-reference.aspx to read the full terms of reference.

ANMF Royal Commission Updates

ANMF Submissions to the Royal Commission

Royal Commission hearings in 2020

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety will hold a series of hearings during the first half of 2020. The Royal Commission will also be holding hearings in the form of workshops. The dates and locations of any potential future workshops will be announced as arrangements are finalised.

Upcoming Hearings

Sydney Hearing 2 - The response to COVID-19 in aged care

Will inquire into the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in aged care, and what can be learned from this experience for responding to future pandemics, infectious disease outbreaks or other emergencies.

Date: 10 – 13 August 2020
Location: There will be no public access. Please follow the hearing on the live webcast.
Time: 10:00am local time
https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/hearings-and-workshops/sydney-hearing-2

Sydney Hearing 3 - Accommodation

The physical setting in which aged care is delivered and where a person receiving aged care lives are inextricable elements of a person’s experience of aged care.

Date: 13 and 14 August 2020
Location: There will be no public access. Please follow the hearing on the live webcast.
Time: 3.10pm AEST (13 August 2020)
https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/hearings-and-workshops/sydney-hearing-3

To explore the topic of accommodation, the Royal Commissioners will a hold a public hearing with issues to be considered including:

appropriate building and design standards for aged care delivery
physical design and models of residential aged care, including ‘small home models’ and dementia-friendly design
access to secure housing for aged care delivery
incentivising movement to alternative accommodation for the provision of aged care services
innovative accommodation models for ageing in place and interaction with aged care supports.

Sydney Hearing 4 - Home Care

At this hearing, the Commissioners will examine some of the key design issues for a new home care system and how to transition to a new system.

Date: 31 August – 3 September 2020
Location: There will be no public access. Please follow the hearing on the live webcast.
Time: 10am (AEST)

Recent research commissioned by the Royal Commissioners reveals that older people have a strong preference to stay in their own homes should they ever have a need for support or care (What Australians Think of Ageing and Aged Care, Roy Morgan, July 2020). At Adelaide Hearing 4, Counsel Assisting submitted that the improvement and expansion of aged care in people's homes and their communities must be a major focus of any re-designed system. At this hearing, Commissioners will consider key features, including:

employment and engagement arrangements for home care workers
qualifications and training for home care workers
safeguards for older people receiving care in their homes
regulation of aged care services delivered to people in their homes and in the community.

https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/hearings-and-workshops/sydney-hearing-4

Public Hearings 2019

At the public hearing held in Adelaide from Monday 11 February to Wednesday 13 February 2019, ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler was among those giving evidence at the hearing on 13 February, explaining how the systemic sub-standard and inadequate care provided to vulnerable nursing home residents can be addressed by the implementation of mandated staffing ratios and skills mix. This will fix the crisis in aged care.

Community Forums

Forums have taken place in a number of locations around the country. The forums are an opportunity for members of the public to hear about the work of the Commission and to offer their ideas on the challenges and strengths of aged care, and the opportunities for improvement. We will share the dates and location of forums as they are announced.

Previous forums:
Newcastle Community Forum – Wednesday 27 November 2019
Canberra Community Forum - Monday 25 November 2019
Launceston Community Forum – Thursday 3 October 2019
Rockhampton Community Forum - Tuesday 20 August 2019
Brisbane Community Forum - Monday 19 August 2019
Adelaide Community Form - Monday 12 August 2019
Townsville Community Forum – Thursday 18 July 2019
Broome Community Forum - Wednesday 19 June 2019
West Melbourne Community Forum – Friday 3 May 2019
Wollongong Community Forum – Wednesday 13 March 2019
Bendigo Community Forum – Tuesday 5 March 2019
Bankstown Community Forum – Friday 1 March 2019

Submissions to the Royal Commission

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety invited interested members of the public and institutions to make submissions to the Royal Commission, commencing 9 January 2019 and closing 31 July 2020.

The timeframe for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has been extended. The Royal Commission’s final report is now due on 26 February 2021.

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