Aged Care Commissioner Report Released

HCHA are pleased to see the home and community support services sector is visible, and current challenges facing the sector are clarified within the Aged Care Commissioner Report, released on 7 March 2024.

Some key highlights include: -

• Home and community support services (HCSS) must be valued as integral parts of the health and disability system and supported to provide high quality accessible care.
• Home and Community Support Services (HCSS) has a significant role to play in keeping people well in their communities for longer and in reducing demand on ARC and emergency and specialist services.
• Variable and inconsistent funding arrangements are not reflective of costs, and this can lead to a postcode lottery and inequities. Solutions involve implementing consistent and flexible budgets, having decision-makers sharing the same goals, and deciding service mix at a local level to help achieve better funding for the sector and improved health outcomes for older people receiving HCSS.
• We need to focus on the recruitment and retention of the HCSS workforce, in particular skilled healthcare assistants, to ensure sustainability. A coherent workforce development strategy is needed for this workforce, with limited actions to build or retain this workforce in the Te Whatu Ora | Health NZ Workforce Plan.

Please click below to download the report. More information is available on the HDC website.

Lisa Foster
CEO, HCHA

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Click here to download more information »
(3.8 MB, Adobe Acrobat PDF file)