Key facts
- Dementia patients were warned not to apply for home support due to fears of reduced funding from Australia's aged care algorithm.
- Advocacy groups and health department staff have raised concerns about the algorithm's accuracy and lack of clinical oversight.
- Some individuals with increasing care needs were advised not to seek reassessment, fearing they would receive less or no support.
- Opan warned of preventable deterioration and deaths linked to the assessment system and over-reliance on automated decision-making.
- The health department plans to introduce a new 'assessment escalation pathway' instead of returning human overrides.
- The Commonwealth Ombudsman is investigating the algorithm's impact on aged care assessments.
Dementia patients in Australia were reportedly warned against seeking home care assessments due to fears that the government's new aged care algorithm would result in reduced funding or priority. Documents obtained under freedom of information laws reveal that advocacy groups and health department staff have raised significant concerns about the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), which was rolled out in November.
These concerns include the algorithm's potential to inadequately assess increasing care needs, leading to preventable deterioration and, in some cases, death. Advocacy groups like Dementia Australia and the Older Persons Advocacy Network (Opan) have highlighted instances where individuals with dementia or complex conditions were denied necessary support or advised not to seek reassessment.
Opan specifically warned of deaths occurring due to the system's failings and an over-reliance on automated decision-making, preventing clinicians from intervening. A senior health department staff member also noted internal communications indicating that assessment organizations were advising people not to pursue assessments due to funding uncertainties.
In response to these criticisms, a spokesperson for the health department stated that the government will legislate a new "assessment escalation pathway" to allow assessors to raise cases to a system governor, rather than returning human overrides. However, Opan has expressed caution, awaiting further details on the pathway's effectiveness and emphasizing the continued need for human oversight in the decision-making process.