SummitCare makes it easy and safe for people to raise their concerns

 For providers  No Responses »
May 162013
 

The Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) delivers an accountable, transparent and customer-focused complaints service for all Australians. The Scheme encourages aged care providers to adopt better practice complaint handling practices so that complaints can be resolved within the service where possible.

In this post, SummitCare CEO Cynthia Payne explains how the Sydney-based provider of nine residential aged care services has transformed its feedback management system to be responsive to the diverse needs of all its care recipients.

 As a result, SummitCare boasts 98% occupancy across its services and has two national achievement awards to its name.


Continue reading »

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Australian Government releases national strategy for older people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Backgrounds

 For consumers, For providers  No Responses »
Mar 052013
 

The Australian Government released two strategies in late 2012: the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Ageing and Aged Care Strategy, and the National Ageing and Aged Care Strategy for People from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Backgrounds (the Strategy).

Both strategies will guide the Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) in communicating about its services to, and in responding to complaints from, older people from a range of diverse backgrounds. 

In this blog, we discuss the strategy supporting older people from CALD backgrounds. To read more about the strategy supporting older LGBTI people, please see our LGBTI blog post.  Continue reading »

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Resolving a concern with your service provider (post 1/2)

 For consumers  2 Responses »
Dec 192012
 

Whether you are concerned about your own or someone else’s care and services, you may reach a faster and sustainable resolution by working with the service provider. This two part post explains the different ways you can work though concerns with a service provider and how the Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) can help. Continue reading »

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How does the Scheme help you work with your service provider? (post 2/2)

 For consumers  No Responses »
Dec 192012
 

In the first part of this post we discussed the benefits of sharing concerns directly with your service provider. However, sometimes trying to resolve your complaint this way doesn’t work out. When this happens, we can help. Continue reading »

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Who can raise a concern with the Aged Care Complaints Scheme?

 For consumers  No Responses »
Dec 192012
 

Anyone!

The Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) provides a free service for anyone to raise a concern about the quality of care and services provided to people receiving Australian Government subsidised aged care.

Any person can make a complaint, including:

  • the care recipient who experienced a problem
  • partners, family members and friends of the person receiving care
  • nominated and legally appointed representatives of the care recipient
  • carers, advocates, volunteers and aged care staff
  • health and medical professionals.

While it is true that anyone can complain to the Scheme, we encourage you to raise your concern with the service provider first. Often you can work out the issue with your provider without contacting the Scheme. For more information read our two part series on raising a concern with your service provider (part 1: Resolving a concern with your service provider), (part 2: How does the Scheme help you work with your service provider?).

Making a complaint is not about being difficult. It is your right to raise concerns and seek to have problems fixed!

It’s important to speak out if you have concerns about the care you or someone else is receiving. Raising a concern can help service providers improve the quality of care they provide to you and other people.

If you do raise a concern on behalf of someone else it is important that the person (or his or her representative) knows about it.

There are also advocacy services that you may be able to  access to help you raise a concern with a provider. For more information contact the National Aged Care Advocacy Line on 1800 700 600 or find the details of the advocacy agency in your state and territory on the Department of Health and Ageing website.

Browse this site, contact us or watch our video for more information. If you have a question or comment about who can complain, please leave it below.

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What concerns can the Aged Care Complaints Scheme examine?

 For consumers  2 Responses »
Dec 192012
 

This post aims to help clarify what concerns the Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) can and can’t assist with. Anyone can raise a concern with the Scheme.

What we can do

When you first contact the Scheme we will gather as much information as possible about your concern. This will help us to understand all of the issues and your expectations. Read our post on what to expect when you first contact the Scheme for more information.

We can examine complaints relating to a service provider’s responsibilities under the Aged Care Act 1997 or under the contractual funding agreement for Commonwealth HACC services. Examples of concerns we can assist with include:

  • health and personal care, for example infection control, personal hygiene
  • communication, for example information and internal complaints processes
  • personnel, for example conduct and training
  • physical environment, for example safety, security, cleaning and call bells
  • financial matters
  • facility equipment
  • activities, choice and comfort.

In a small number of cases, we may not be able to take action even when a complaint relates to a concern we can examine. For example, we may not take action if the matter is subject to legal proceedings or a coronial inquiry, or if the person receiving care does not want the complaint to be examined.

If you lodge a complaint with us and we can’t help you, we will try to identify who can. We can refer these to other organisations such as the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd, professional registration boards or other complaints bodies.

What we cannot do

There are some things we are unable to do. For example, we are unable to:

  • say who should make financial, legal or health decisions on behalf of a care recipient
  • comment on industrial matters such as wages or employment conditions
  • provide legal advice
  • ask service providers to terminate someone’s employment
  • investigate the cause of death (this is the role of the coroner)
  • determine whether or not a specific event occurred (especially if we receive conflicting accounts of the event)
  • provide clinical advice about what treatment a person should be receiving.

If your complaint relates to issues we can examine, we will conduct a detailed assessment. Read our post on assessment of complaints for more information.

If you have any questions about what we can and can’t assist with, please post them below.

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How can the Scheme help you to resolve your concern?

 For consumers  No Responses »
Dec 192012
 

If you have a concern or complaint that you have not been able to resolve by talking with your service provider, you can contact the Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme).

When you contact us, we’ll let you know if your complaint falls within the range of issues that we can examine. If it does, we will work with you and your service provider to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible.

To do this, we may:

  • resolve it quickly without a formal process (early resolution)
  • refer your complaint back to the service to examine within a set time frame  (service provider resolution)
  • help you and the service provider discuss the issues and reach an agreement that resolves your concern (conciliation). This may involve a few phone calls, informal discussions and/or formal meetings. We will document the process and provide written feedback to you, the care recipient (if you are raising the concern on behalf of someone else) and your service provider
  • investigate your complaint (investigation). Investigations can be simple, for example gathering information and discussing the issues with both parties. They can also be more complex, involving visits to the service, analysing records and conducting interviews. Feedback is provided to everyone throughout an investigation, unless you remain anonymous. The Scheme will write to both parties to advise the outcome of the investigation.

In cases where we are unable to achieve a resolution to your complaint, we may ask you and the service provider to enter into a formal mediation process. We are not directly involved in mediation. Mediation does have a cost, which both parties would need to discuss.

While resolving your complaint through the approaches above we may:

  • consult professionals about clinical or technical matters
  • ask for information from you, the service provider or other people
  • visit the service involved
  • review any relevant information given to us
  • refer an issue to another organisation if they can more appropriately deal with it.

To help us achieve the best possible resolution to your complaint, we have put together some tips for raising a concern effectively.

Our focus is on reaching the best outcome as quickly as possible. The more formal resolution options may take longer. When you call us, we will talk with you about the different approaches and what to expect.

If you have any questions or comments about how we resolve complaints, please leave them below.

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What happens when I first contact the Scheme?

 For consumers  No Responses »
Dec 192012
 

When you first contact us, one of our Complaints Resolution officers will assess your concerns to make sure they are addressed in the best way. Whether you contact us over the phone, through a letter or by using the online complaint form, we will promptly contact you and acknowledge your complaint.

In raising a complaint, you have the right to expect:

  • personal privacy
  • to be involved in decisions that affect you
  • to be treated with dignity and respect
  • good quality care for the care recipient
  • full and effective use of your rights.

We may also contact an advocacy service on your behalf. To learn more about care recipient rights, read the Charter of Residents’ Rights and Responsibilities or the Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Community Care.

Each complaint is assessed on its own merits. We will gather as much information as possible to understand the issues and the results you are seeking. You can help us by giving as much information about your complaint as early as possible in the process. Refer to the post on how to raise an effective complaint for more information.

We will then establish whether we are able to look into your concern. If we are unable to look into your complaint, we will refer you to someone who can. If we can look into your complaint, we will provide information about how we resolve complaints and clearly explain what may be achieved.

We will then undertake a detailed assessment and establish the level of risk to the care recipient. We consider the safety, dignity and choice of the care recipient and the quality of care and services being delivered. We may also:

  • undertake a more detailed review of the service provider’s history
  • review basic information about the care recipient
  • engage with relevant people, for example the laundry staff if the complaint is about laundry
  • review any other information that is necessary and relevant to your complaint.

Once the detailed assessment is complete, we may assist you to resolve your concern directly with the service provider.

Alternatively, we may commence a formal complaint resolution process. You can find out more in our post on the Scheme’s resolution pathways. At this stage, one of our Complaint Resolution officers will explain the next steps and keep you informed of the progress of your complaint.

If you have any questions or comments about how we assess complaints, please post them below.

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How to raise an effective complaint

 For consumers  No Responses »
Dec 192012
 

It’s ok to make a complaint
Raising concerns you have about the quality of care you or someone you know is receiving isn’t ‘being difficult’. It’s a normal part of service delivery. Raising concerns can provide an opportunity for aged care services to become aware of issues, find solutions and improve their service.

The majority of complaints can be addressed quickly by discussing the issue(s) with your service provider, in person or over the phone.

Anyone can make a complaint about aged care in Australia by discussing issues directly with a service provider or by contacting the Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme).

If you have a concern, there are a few things that will help make your complaint more effective and easier to resolve.

Put your concerns in writing
More complex or less urgent concerns are best put in writing. Writing a letter allows you to collate relevant information in one document and present it in a logical flow, making it easier for service providers or the Scheme to understand your complaint. It also provides you with a written record of raising a concern.

Focus on the facts
It can be distressing to be concerned about issues that affect you or a loved one. Feeling angry and frustrated is common in these situations.

A calm, written complaint that details facts and events clearly will assist the service provider or the Scheme in understanding and assessing your complaint.

Include important information
Provide concise background information on the issue and outline any steps taken by you or the care recipient to fix the problem. Include times, dates and names of staff that you spoke to and their responses. It’s also useful to include copies of any forms, letters or documents that relate to the complaint.

Be clear about the outcome you want to achieve
Your complaint will be most effective if you are seeking an outcome that is realistic and aims to improve the quality of services provided to the care recipient. Be sure to aim for a realistic outcome as this can speed up the resolution of your concern.

Ask for help
Making a complaint can be a confronting experience for many people, particularly when it concerns staff or service providers with whom you have an ongoing relationship. Ask a friend or family member to help you write out your complaint, or contact an Advocacy Service for support.

More tips and advice
You can visit the Aged Care Commissioner’s ‘Practical Tips for Making a Complaint’ page and Commonwealth Ombudsman’s ‘Making a Complaint’ page for more information on raising an effective complaint.

What do you think makes an effective complaint? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Annual report highlights new options, timely resolutions and high levels of satisfaction with the Scheme

 For consumers, For providers  No Responses »
Oct 222012
 

Improvements made to the Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) following the Walton Review have led to timelier resolution of complaints, fewer investigations and high levels of satisfaction with the Scheme.

These positive outcomes for the Scheme were reported in the 2011-12 Department of Health and Ageing Annual Report, part of the department’s effort to provide a clear and transparent picture of the role it plays in delivering the Australian Government’s priorities for health and ageing. Continue reading »

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