Submission: Exposure Draft of the Aged Care Code of Conduct

AHPA’s submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care on Exposure Draft of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Amendment (Code of Conduct and Banning Orders) Rules 2022 included a number of specific amendments to improve the Code of Conduct, and argued for consideration to be given to consulting stakeholders on the value and role of documents similar to the NDIS Participant Service Guarantee.

In addition, AHPA recommended that the Commonwealth Government, the inter-Departmental Regulatory Alignment Taskforce, the NDIS Quality and Safety Commission and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission work with allied health peak bodies to simplify current allied health provider compliance processes and eliminate duplicate regulation and unnecessary administration.

AHPA also strongly endorsed the Consultation Summary Report’s finding that detailed guidance must be drafted to supplement the Code of Conduct. This material must include plain language resources for people who work in aged care, and consumers and their families, so that they can easily interpret and apply the Code. Development of these resources should also consider the requirements of people with complex communication needs.