The Australian Government has announced its continued development of the possible replacement for the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI), the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) funding model.

A key preparatory step in the possible shift to a new system is to undertake independent assessments for all new and existing permanent residential aged care recipients using the AN ACC assessment tool. This ‘shadow assessment’ process will commence in the first half of 2021 and is expected to take approximately 12 months to complete.

The Department has entered into contracts with six organisations to undertake assessments across all Australian Government Approved Residential Aged Care Services commencing 1 April 2021.

Care Tasmania Pty Ltd t/as Care Assess is one of the selected assessment organisations and will be completing assessments across Tasmania.

The term shadow assessment reflects that the ACFI will continue to operate during this period and will continue to be the mechanism through which funding assessments continue to be made. The AN-ACC shadow assessments will take place in parallel to ACFI assessments. During this time there will be no changes to ACFI processes. The AN-ACC shadow assessment process will not impact funding received by providers in relation to care recipients.
The shadow assessment process is necessary to ensure Government is prepared to respond in an agile manner to the final report of the Royal Commission into Quality and Safety in Aged Care. It does not reflect final decisions of Government to shift to the AN-ACC funding model, but rather a proactive approach to ensuring reform options are available to replace the outdated ACFI.

The Government will continue to consult with the sector on implementation matters before final decisions on the commencement of AN-ACC and an ongoing assessment workforce are finalised.

 

 For more information visit: 
https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/aged-care/aged-care-reforms-and-reviews/residential-aged-care-funding-reform.