New South Wales,
Australia — A user-pays principle should apply
to government home-care services for young people with
disabilities and the frail elderly in NSW, a report has
recommended.
After reviewing the NSW Home Care
Service (HCS) the state auditor-general said it should
adopt a means-tested user-pays system.
A report released today recommended
HCS - the only government provider of home care to
disabled young and frail older people - also coordinate
more efficiently with other service providers.
The HCS program is run by the NSW
Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC)
and is funded by the joint Commonwealth/State Home and
Community Care program.
However, NSW Auditor-General Bob
Sendt said government funding of HCS was too low, and
recommended that client contributions be increased in a
shift to a user-pays system.
"A more rational fee charging
mechanism might assist in providing additional funds to
home care to meet other client needs," Mr Sendt said."The
average cost (for clients) is only $3.75 and hour. It has
fallen over recent years."
DADHC director general Brendan
O'Reilly said he would look to address the issues raised
in the audit, including the development of a fees
policy.Mr O'Reilly also would investigate setting up a
referral and assessment centre to help better manage
intake.
At least half the people requiring
home care in NSW were missing out on much needed services
because of less-than-adequate service management, the
auditor found.
"Its level of funding means that
currently at least 50 per cent of those who are eligible
miss out," he said.
Clients remained with HCS until
they chose to leave, moved into residential care or died,
he said.The number of people waiting for services grew
from zero in 2001 to 346 this year, but Mr Sendt said HCS
did not keep a waiting list.
"Clients are expected to reapply
and take their chances," he said.
Applicants who were eligible for
care but missed out because of inadequate resources often
were not referred to other providers, Mr Sendt
said.
