MEDIA RELEASE

Press Release
ATTENTION: AGED CARE, POLITICAL REPORTERS

31 May 2006

HEALTH MINISTERS URGED TO ACT

The National Aged Care Alliance (the Alliance) presented the Minister for Ageing, the Hon Santo Santoro, with a paper on an integrated aged/health care service at its meeting yesterday.

The Alliance’s vision is for a system of properly resourced and integrated, quality health care that is flexible, equitable, accessible and affordable, that recognises diversity and promotes choice and respect for users and workers. This is necessary to ensure that artificial barriers between care settings are removed or reduced for older people and a structure is created in which all elements of health services are well integrated and coordinated.

The Alliance considers that fundamental requirements of quality care are:

• Affordable and accessible 24 hour medical services;
• Access to quality nursing care and to the full range of essential specialist support and allied health professional services;
• Provision of adequate services such as day care, respite care or hospice beds;
• Sustainable carer and home support services;
• Rehabilitation and subacute care services;
• Efficient and client centred health assessment; and
• Hospital services for the increasing numbers of ‘frail’ older people with acute illness and complex care needs.

To work effectively health services need to be funded and integrated across the three care settings - hospital, community and residential facility. The National Aged Care Alliance calls on all Australian health ministers to ensure that this happens.

The Alliance represents peak national organisations in aged care (including consumer groups, providers, union and health professionals) working together to determine a more positive future for the residential aged care sector.

For further information, contact Professor Tony Broe – 0414 192 000

Membership of the Alliance comprises:
Aged & Community Services Australia; Alzheimer’s Australia; Anglicare Australia; Australian Association of Gerontology; Australian Divisions of General Practice Ltd; Australian Healthcare Association; Australian Medical Association; Australian Nursing Federation; Australian Nursing Homes & Extended Care Association; Australian Pensioners & Superannuants Federation; Australian Physiotherapy Association; Australian Society for Geriatric Medicine; Baptist Care Australia; Carers Australia; Catholic Health Australia; COTA/National Seniors; Geriaction; Health Services Union; Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union; Lutheran Church of Australia; Pharmacy Guild of Australia; Royal Australian College of General Practitioners; Royal College of Nursing, Australia; UnitingCare Australia.