Update on My Aged Care and Carer GatewayLocal Government NSW – Aged Care Forum

James Wilson - Engagement ManagerHealthdirect Australia

28 June 2016

Healthdirect AustraliaAbout us

Healthdirect Australia designs and delivers

innovative services for governments to provide

every Australian with 24/7 access to the trusted

information and advice they need to manage

their own health and health-related issues.

Healthdirect AustraliaSharing trusted knowledge

mindhealthconnectafter hours GP helpline

My Aged Care

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No matter where people live, or what time of the day or night it is, they can talk to a professional, find trusted advice online about how to manage their issue, and locate the closest appropriate and open service that meets their needs.

Carer Gateway

Key components of the My Aged Care Gateway

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• Aged Care Assessment

Teams (ACATs)

• Regional Assessment

Services (RASs)

• Service Providers – including

GPs & Hospitals

• Older people and their carers

• Contact Centre

• Website - Service Finder

• DoH Portal

Key components of the My Aged Care Gateway

5

• Aged Care Assessment

Teams (ACATs)

• Regional Assessment

Services (RASs)

• Service Providers – including

GPs & Hospitals

• Older people and their carers

• Contact Centre

• Website - Service Finder

• DoH Portal

• The Contact Centre, Website

and Service Finder are

components of the end to end

solution

Projected vs. Actual Contact Volume and Key Events

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0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16

Projected Contact Volume Actual Contact Volume Average Speed of Answer

July 2015 Roll

Contact Centre Improvement ProgrammeMajor DSS

System Outage

Wollongong site to start 1 July 2016

Customer Satisfaction12 months – April 2015 to April 2016

• 97 % - Contact Centre - Overall Satisfaction

• 56 % Website – Overall Satisfaction

Making Referrals to My Aged Care

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Referrals to My Aged Care Contact Centre

Referrals can be made in the following ways:

1. Phone call to My Aged Care – Phone: 1800 200 422 – Monday to Friday – 8.00 am until 8.00 pm

Monday to Friday or Saturday 10.00 am until 2.00 pm

2. Fax the My Aged Care Contact Centre – Fax: 1800 728 174

3. Online through My Aged Care website - https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/referral

Further information can be found at https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/helping-your-patients

A good referral outcome can be achieved through:

• Essential data is required to aid in timely and efficient processing including a Medicare Number

and key Contact Person

• Explaining the reason for referral is important – Older people declining the service has resulted in

a high number of rejected referrals at Assessment

• Not all people all eligible for Commonwealth subsidised services – private services are available

Empowering consumers by leveraging technology

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Case study:

A client journey and

the interfaces with My

Aged Care

My Aged Care website

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Improving the digital experience

Healthdirect Australia’s vision for the “My Aged Care” website is to achieve an

engaging and easy experience for consumers to access information on ageing

and aged care.

This will be achieved through:

• Discovery and Information function

• Leading Older people and their Carers to an action

• Making it easy for users to self-serve at least part of their relationship

• Segmented the website for each target audience

Website visits to www.myagedcare.gov.au for May 2016 – 289,681 = 72,420 per week

My Aged Care materials

Can be ordered at: http://www.healthdirect.gov.au/promotional-material

Consumer

Healthdirect Australia2015 – Carer Gateway

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In December 2015, we were proud to launch our newest service, Carer Gateway. Carer Gateway is a national service which provides information about support services for people who care for someone with a disability, dementia, a chronic illness, mental illness or frailty due to age.

Contact centre: telephone support Monday –

Friday, 8.00 am and 6.00 pm

Website: online access to information about caring

Service finder: Locate nearest support services

Who are Carers?

• Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends

who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or

other drug issue or who are frail aged.

• In Australia, there are approximately 2.7 million carers who provide care to a family

member (i.e. parent, partner, child), friend or neighbour who needs help to go about

everyday life.

• Majority of carers are ‘hidden carers’, that is, they do not identify, or recognise

themselves as carers, which means they don’t seek the important help that is available

to them to assist and sustain them in the caring role.

• Many carers report positive experiences such as satisfaction in their role as carers, i.e.

relief knowing that their loved ones are being cared for appropriately.

• However, research and clinical observation shows that assuming a caregiving role can

be stressful and burdensome and has impacts on carers’ health and wellbeing.

Why a Carer Gateway, and how was it developed?

• Carer Gateway was established due to a recognisable need that carers require

help to assist them in their caring role. Carer Gateway makes it easier for carers

to find the services appropriate to their situation. Up to now, carers have been

searching for services through a number often confusing pathways across the

disability, mental health and aged care systems.

• Carer Gateway was developed based on:

o market research which validated the need for more simplified ways of

accessing support services;o workshops with carers to inform the design of the new service and the type of

information carers want; and o input from the Carer Gateway Advisory Group members who consists of

service providers, peak bodies, carers and individuals who have

carer-specific expertise.

What is Carer Gateway?

• Carer Gateway commenced operation in December 2015 as a new service

specifically for carers.

• Carer Gateway is a great place for carers to start to find information and

practical advice about caring and support services available to them, and

the person/s they care for.

• Carer Gateway is a phone and website service which carers or health

professionals can call 1800 422 737 from 8.00 am – 6.00 pm, Monday -

Friday, or visit www.carergateway.gov.au

• Carer Gateway website includes an interactive service finder to help carers

locate their nearest carer support services.

Carer Gateway materialsConsumer

Healthdirect AustraliaContact Details

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James Wilson

Engagement Manager – Carers and Aged care

Healthdirect Australia

Address: Level 19 – 133 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000

email: james.wilson@healthdirect.org.au

phone: 02 9263 9060

Thank you

www.healthdirect.gov.au