MND NSW supports MND Australia's calls for greater transparency about the outcome of the Government’s review of the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) for aged care funding and means for allowing assessor oversight when the IAT makes recommendations that don't reflect a person's needs.
Recent media reports have revealed the development and implementation of the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) for aged care funding saw departmental officials grappling with the removal of human override powers immediately before the system was introduced.
Additionally, documents released under Freedom of Information reveal assessors raised concerns about being unable to address funding outcomes that did not align with people’s needs, warning this “does not align with their professional ethics” and could have “possible legal impacts.”
These revelations come as the three-month deadline for the Government's promised "rapid review" of the IAT's prioritisation mechanism has passed without findings being made public. In June, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae committed to receiving the review within three months so further changes could be made to improve outcomes for older Australians.
MND Australia CEO Clare Sullivan said people living with rapidly progressive conditions cannot afford further delays.
"For months, MND Australia has been raising serious concerns about a system where an algorithm can determine the level of care someone receives without an assessor being able to intervene when the outcome is clearly inappropriate."
"We welcomed the Government's commitment to review the system, but three months have now passed. People living with MND do not have the luxury of waiting indefinitely for answers. We need the findings of this review released and a clear pathway for experienced assessors to apply clinical judgement when the system gets it wrong."
MND Australia has previously presented evidence showing significant variation in IAT outcomes for people living with MND. Of 71 assessments examined by MND State Associations, 60 per cent resulted in Level 4 support or below, while only around one in five received the highest Level 8 package.
MND Australia has consistently called for automated assessment tools to support, not replace, clinical judgement.
"We are calling for transparency around how decisions are made and meaningful human oversight where an outcome does not reflect a person's needs," said Ms Sullivan.
