Assist HomeCare

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:17): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Health and Wellbeing a question.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: A few days ago, there were media reports revealing a well-known Adelaide company that provides in-home support services for the elderly and the disabled was suspended for six months after regulators identified severe risks to the health and wellbeing of care recipients. The business, Assist HomeCare, provides services to help elderly people and people with disabilities remain in their homes, including showering, dressing, meals, cleaning, gardening, transport and bill paying. It contracts its services to both the private and public sectors and is an approved provider to the NDIS and the SA government.

The federal Department of Health and ageing imposed the suspension, saying it had serious concerns about the immediate and severe risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of care recipients at the service. My understanding is that the suspension only impacts the business seeking new federal government subsidies for new clients and not existing clients. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is the minister aware of the suspension placed on Assist HomeCare?

2. Has the minister been briefed by his federal colleagues about the suspension?

3. Does the suspension only impact the company's public sector clients and not private sector clients?

4. Do the sanctions only impact the company's elderly customers and not disabled clients?

5. Does the minister agree significant improvements can be made to raise awareness of such suspensions in the community?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:18): I thank the honourable member for her question. In terms of the regulation of both residential aged care and home care in the community, as the member clearly indicates in her question, she understands that primary accountability rests with the commonwealth government.

If I can address one of her late questions, which is do I think more can be done in terms of transparency, I certainly believe there is. My understanding is the commonwealth government is acting to upgrade the commonwealth accreditation agency's website such that more information will be more readily available to both people purchasing services and families and, for that matter, other funding bodies.

I was aware that Assist HomeCare had been the subject of commonwealth accreditation action. I haven't been briefed in terms of public sector agencies that are buying services through Assist HomeCare, so I will certainly seek that information and bring back an answer to the honourable member. But I would stress that, in terms of my engagement with my federal colleagues, these accreditation matters are managed by an independent commonwealth aged-care accreditation agency, which itself is subject to an Ombudsman. So the primary responsibility for enforcement is that of those independent agencies.