Genevieve Donnelly
Executive Director Aged Care Policy and Communications, IHACPA
Biography
Genevieve Donnelly is the Executive Director, Aged Care Policy and Communications with IHACPA. Genevieve has worked across the hospital, community and aged care sectors as a pharmacist and health informatician with a focus on safety and quality and clinical governance. In here role with IHACPA, Genevieve is responsible for policy in residential and in home aged care areas, the assessment of Refundable Accommodation Deposits and communications.
The evolution of IHACPA pricing advice through the annual pricing cycle
In response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Commonwealth Government (the Government) announced reforms to the aged care sector. Changes include the introduction of the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN ACC) and funding model for residential aged care and expansion of the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) to include independent evidence-based costing and pricing advice to the Government annually from 1 July 2023.
IHACPA is committed to providing pricing advice that is directly informed by the actual costs of delivering care and is evidence based. The ongoing implementation of activity based funding in residential aged care will be a multi-year process involving stakeholder consultation, evolution, data collection and refinement over time.
Consultation and engagement with the aged care sector is vital to IHACPA’s work in developing aged care pricing advice. The annual consultation is the primary mechanism for stakeholders to provide their input.
IHACPA released its first Towards an Aged Care Pricing Framework Consultation Paper for public consultation in August 2022 and received submissions from a diverse range of stakeholders. IHACPA recently released its second Consultation Paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Residential Aged Care Services 2024–25 in July 2023.
IHACPA acknowledge the significant and broad range of reforms occurring across the aged care system and will continue to engage with stakeholders to refine the areas of focus for future residential aged care pricing advice to government. Each year, IHACPA will seek to establish areas of focus, both in the near and longer term. This approach supports stakeholders in shaping priorities for the pricing signal and informing ongoing evolution of approach.
IHACPA recognise that some areas for future focus will be complex, for example safety and quality, and require the engagement of multiple agencies and departments as well as stakeholders. IHACPA will continue to build engagement in all areas to ensure the foundational principles of transparency and evidence continue to underpin the approach to costing and pricing advice.
This presentation discusses key themes arising from IHACPA’s residential aged care and residential respite annual consultation; including transparency, IHACPA’s pricing principles, IHACPA’s approach to aged care pricing, adjustments, priorities for future consideration and the importance of sector engagement in the consultation process.