There have been no health policies in this election campaign offering improved medical care of older Australians living in residential aged care facilities, and that’s a disgrace according to the AMA.

AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, said today that older Australians should not have to lose easy access to quality health care when they move from their homes to an aged care home.

“Their GP has been with them throughout their lives and that important doctor-patient relationship should be maintained and supported in a person’s old age, especially when they are moving into a new unfamiliar environment,’ Dr Capolingua said.

“Doctors spend a lot of time looking after the complex medical needs of people in residential aged care facilities. More than half of doctors’ time is spent managing patients’ care with families and staff, but this care is not supported by Medicare.

“Many doctors are left with the challenging choice between a waiting room full of patients, or travelling to an aged care facility to visit a patient in need of care at an aged care facility.

“Medicare insufficiently supports the aged care visit, so it is not surprising that just 16 per cent of Australian GPs visit an aged care facility more than once a week.

“Many aged care facilities do not have treatment rooms where doctors can see their patients in private, nor do they have the necessary IT support for prescribing and record keeping.

“It is vital that on-site access to GP services is built into future planning and funding of residential aged care facilities.

It’s not too late for the Coalition and Labor to put this affordable and responsible policy out there for voters to consider,” Dr Capolingua said.

The AMA wants aged care policies that:

– Introduce dedicated Medicare items that improve access to GPs and medical specialists for older Australians and subsequently improve health care delivery, health outcomes and quality of life for older Australians,

– Improve clinical management and the delivery of care in the residential aged care sector by introducing computer systems that facilitate medical records and prescribing, and which connect the GP to the residential aged care facility and to the pharmacy, and

– Make treatment rooms a standard feature of residential aged care facilities.

ama.au