Transforming Aged Care

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has perhaps shone history’s brightest light on the systemic weaknesses and deficiencies of Australia’s aged care sector.

The stories it uncovered, of neglect, of disinterest and, above all, of disrespect, were shocking and — in many ways — surprising. Surprising not because isolated reports of deficiencies in care were unknown, but because the overall faltering of the system flew in the face of years of ‘person-centric’ reform interventions and efforts, and the sector’s $20 billion annual Federal investment.

Australia’s aged care system provides support for 1.2 million people — it is an essential service — but it is yet to realise our collective hopes for how we treat the people who rely upon it.

And politics has appreciated this, with aged care reform being a major battleground in the recent 2022 Federal election. Policy and system change is coming, there can be no doubt.

What is required is a large-scale system reorientation and transformation — at provider, service, policy and ethical levels. In meeting this challenge, we believe that technology and digitsation have a core — not superficial or ancillary — role to play. Amidst the sea of challenges, the potential for technology in aged care is far deeper and more transformative than might be imagined.

This paper offers some strategic provocations concerning how this can happen. It is written for anyone with an interest in the future of the aged care system, from policy-makers focused on how digital technologies can deliver on the goals of regulatory reform, to aged care providers concerned about the value to be found in digital transformation.

Most importantly, the purpose of this paper is to spur cross-system conversation. Eschewing the traditional siloed approach, we anticipate the report can contribute to the work of researchers, regulators, clinicians, advocates, and the many people engaged in the day-to-day delivery of aged care services in Australia.