The Department of Health is to require the providers of aged care across Australia to sign up to and conform with a strengthened Charter of Rights for their clients.
Under new laws, the aged care providers will have to provide a personally signed copy of the Charter to every one of their residents and care recipients, who will also be given the right to co-sign it.
Announcing the changes, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care, Ken Wyatt said the Department was standing up for the most vulnerable senior Australians.
“The co-signing makes providers’ commitments and obligations under the Charter clear to clients, and ensures that clients are aware of their rights,” Mr Wyatt said.
“The comprehensive new charter covers 14 fundamental protections — from safe, quality care, to independence, information, personal privacy, control, fairness and choice.”
He said it replaced and strengthened four previous charters that covered various forms of aged care, building on the new Aged Care Quality Standards.
Mr Wyatt said the Charter will underpin the new standards which include mandated quality clinical frameworks; open disclosure to consumers; and minimal use of restraint while requiring providers to prove their care and services are safe, effective and consumer-focused,
“Being treated with dignity and living without abuse and neglect are among the top tiers of the new Charter,” Mr Wyatt said.
