Experiences and perceptions of the aged care system and My Aged Care
The first wave of research was conducted between January-March 2016 and focussed on evaluating the implementation of stage two of My Aged Care in July 2015.
Stage Two Wave 1 Research
Earlier this year the department commissioned research through independent research consultancy, AMR, to evaluate experiences and perceptions of the aged care system and My Aged Care initiative among:
clients
carers
assessors
service providers
health professionals
Key findings
Overall, client satisfaction with the services offered by My Aged Care and the aged care system was strong, participants were positive about information provided by My Aged Care and their experiences with the contact centre.
The key strengths identified include:
Awareness of My Aged Care across Australia has doubled since the July 2015 expansion.
Clients were positive about the contact centre, with care recipients and carers satisfied with the information provided and their interaction with staff.
Clients were positive about the registration and screening process through the contact centre, with more than 80% stating they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience.
Assessors generally felt well equipped to conduct assessments using My Aged Care, and clients were overwhelmingly satisfied with their assessment experience.
Clients were also positive about the referral to service process with more than 70% stating they were satisfied or very satisfied with their ability to find services after the assessment.
These results are very encouraging given a key function of My Aged Care is to provide older people with easier access to information, facilitate assessment and support access to services.
There were also some opportunities for improvement identified by service providers, including:
The quality and accuracy of information recorded by the contact centre in the central client record.
The appropriateness of referrals by the contact centre for both assessment and service provision.
The administrative requirements for service providers when using My Aged Care.
Clients also indicated that access to information on fees and charges could be improved, including additional information on the website.
Next steps
Work is already underway to address these areas, in particular, the department has been working closely with the contact centre over recent months to review and implement improvements. The results of this research, as well as the outcomes from the recent co-design workshops will be used to inform key areas of focus moving forward.
Another wave of research is scheduled to take place early next year.