ASMOF urges Minister not to outsource ACATs
28-Feb-2020
ASMOF urges Minister not to outsource ACATs
ASMOF and other members of the NSW Aged Care Roundtable have written to The Hon Brad Hazzard MP to express our concerns about the Commonwealth Government’s plan to put Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) services up for public tender this year in a bid to pursue financial efficiencies. Whilst supportive of plans to merge the Regional Assessment Service and ACATs into a single service ASMOF strongly oppose outsourcing the assessment process.
The letter also draws attention to the well-evidenced deficit in skills and numbers of aged care workers at all levels, noting that traditionally
ACAT services have been a gateway for specialists in gerontology. Privatisation of such services will close off this opportunity to attract a broader
skill set into the aged care sector and is a short-sighted proposition that demonstrates a lack of understanding about how services operate at point
of delivery.