Concerns Public Aged Care Funding Not Reaching Patients

This year, Australia’s federal government announced $2.2 billion (US$1.4 billion) in funding to bolster aged care services nationwide, part of a wider $12.6 billion effort for the sector. The budget announcement outlined several target areas including addressing wait times for home care packages, bolstering the industry’s workforce, enhancing the safety regulator, and upgrading technology. Yet a university study says the funding is not achieving its goals. The University of Technology Sydney’s Ageing Research Collaborative found that nearly two-thirds of residential aged care facilities had not met mandatory care targets, despite making profits and receiving government funding. Currently, residents of aged care facilities must receive around 200 minutes of direct care daily, including 40 minutes with a registered nurse....