Third
Age Health (TAH) leads the development of a new standard for
aged care, the ‘Residential Care Medical Service
Provider Standard’ aimed at improving the quality and
consistency of healthcare for older New
Zealanders.
The new aged care standards set out to
provide a consistent framework for healthcare providers,
promote patient-centred practices, and ensure services for
older people align with current health needs.
These
standards address long-standing gaps that fall outside
traditional primary care guidelines. Older New Zealanders
often face fragmented care, service delays, and poor
continuity between general practice, aged residential care,
and home support.
“Third Age Health is
committed to advancing the level and consistency of general
practice provided in aged residential care across New
Zealand. These standards respond to a gap and need as
current standards have not consistently addressed the
increasingly complex health, functional, and psychosocial
needs of older people in residential settings”, says Tony
Wai, CEO, Third Age Health.
“We’re
dedicated to putting appropriate standards in place where
other aged care frameworks are lacking. As a sector leader,
we’re focused on setting a strong foundation to support
the future of general practice services in aged residential
care.”
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Third Age Health acknowledges that while
patient experience surveys are used in traditional general
practice through the Health and Safety Quality Commission,
there is currently no national framework in place to capture
direct feedback from aged care residents. This gap is
largely due to barriers and complexities such as the digital
nature of existing tools and the reliance on family or staff
to respond on residents’ behalf and highlights the need
for a dedicated, impartial system for gathering consumer
insights in aged care health
services.
“Older people with complex
conditions, including those living in residential care, need
highly skilled GPs and nurse practitioners, who are
excellent communicators and are respectful and responsive.
To date in NZ, we have not had a service standard
specifically designed for general practice when it is
provided in the residential care setting.” said Dr Jackie
Broadbent, Clinical Advisory Committee Chair, Third Age
Health and Geriatrician.
The development of the
Residential Care Medical Service Provider Standard has seen
TAH collaborate with clinicians, health organization and
community stakeholders to ensure the standards reflect the
needs of the population.
The TAH elder care standards
have been adapted from the Foundation Standard, which was
developed by The Royal New Zealand College of General
Practitioners. The elder care standards also take into
consideration appropriate elements from the urgent care
standards from The Royal New Zealand College of Urgent Care;
and the health and disability services standard created by
the Ministry of Health.
Third Age Health has been
working closely with the Aged Care Association (ACA),
amongst others, to develop the new standards and ensure that
they provide clear and consistent expectations for
high-quality care that supports healthy ageing.
“The
ACA welcomes the development of these standards for general
practice in residential aged care. They represent an
important step toward ensuring older New Zealanders receive
quality, compassionate, and consistent primary care,
regardless of where they live or who they are,” says
Tracey Martin, Chief Executive, Aged Care
Association.
“I’m pleased this framework embeds
evidence-based practices, strengthens clinical oversight of
general practice services, and promotes a truly
person-centred approach, helping to close long-standing gaps
in the medical care available within residential aged
care.”
Third Age Health is progressing through the
next stages with the view of securing further endorsement
from Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and The Royal NZ
College of GP so that other organisations can utilise the
standards in the future. The long-term vision is for the
elder care standards to be recognised with the same level of
authority and structure in alignment with existing primary
care
standards.
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