Aged care royal commission in Brisbane held hearings that scrutinise regulations in aged care. Provided that these regulations are intended to safeguard residents, there is an existing “red tape” that causes failures in aged care.
The failure of nursing staff to comply with a review visit from an Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission led them to focus on meeting paper trails instead of care for residents.
Best results for aged care would be centred on outcomes than processes. The primary focus should be on addressing crucial incidents, the cause and how they could be prevented in the future. Moreover, the maintenance of health is also a must.
The emergence of the crisis in aged care
The problem of aged care materialised over some time. The systemic problems in organisations came from the interactions within its key players.
The key players in the aged care system have various goals in their respective circles. For instance, regulators are focused on complying with the process; staff struggles with their limitations in managing the residents and proprietors are driven by economic viability. Focusing on a particular key problem will not solve the problem as a whole.
Responsibility and governance
A major culture shift is needed to recalibrate the system. Governments in different countries are being persuaded to put less focus on process measurement and divert the attention to outcome transparency.
According to Peter Drucker, a renowned management consultant, educator and author, management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
Instead of regulatory compliance, which can do things right, providers should pay much attention to the needs of the residents. This is how things should be done and the aged care system should be redesigned.
The practice application
The accountability framework is necessary for applying the design to practice. The differences between an outcome-based approach and process based-approach are well defined. The former usually refers to the conceptualisation of care while the latter is focused merely on protocol adherence.
Take for instance: a resident has a fall. Instead of merely checking her injuries and vital signs, the staff may include assessments on different aspects of her health condition and well-being. This could also invoke the guidance and help of other health professionals to give holistic care. Checking the aspects of muscle condition, pain management, and medication reviews are included in this matter.
Another example would be involving a patient with diabetes. Staff may attend the patient by recording their blood sugar readings. Instead of doing such acts as a protocol, the staff would also like to consider the underlying reasons for such as loss of appetite, infection or delirium.
Stepping in of the royal commission should stop red tape
The main reasons for admitting patients to an aged care facility is because of their increasing frailty or significant memory loss. These aspects expose the patients to vulnerability, which demands particular physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs.
True accountability lies in how the provided care has impacted the resident. Besides, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission should be committed to giving leadership, educator and serve as learning organisations. Sanctions and penalties shall be imposed on aged care facilities that fail to learn and improve.
Intensified bureaucracy would only benefit to perpetuate the existing crisis and would also fail to encapsulate the necessary demands of the residents and their families who are victimised by the failures in the sector.
