With the introduction of AN-ACC on 1 October 2022 the Quality of Care Principles have been amended.

The amending legislation was issued on 28 September 2022.  From 1 October 2022, the funding provided under the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) covers the cost of specified care and services provided for all residents.

As providers would be aware it has previously been the case that a provider can charge fees for services in Part 3 Schedule 1 of the Schedule of Specified Care and Services for any care recipient other than a care recipient who falls within any of the categories listed in Section 7(6) of the Quality of Care Principles.

Post 1 October 2022 this will no longer be the case. This effectively means that after 1 October 2022 you can no longer charge additional service fees for items in Part 3 of Schedule 1 for any care recipient, that is, regardless of the resident’s AN-ACC classification.

However, you will still be able to charge additional service fees for items that are of better quality than the items listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1, and you can still continue to charge additional service fees for items that are not contained in or excluded from Part 3 Schedule 1 of the Schedule of Specified Care and Services.

Providers who have been charging care recipients for services under Part 3 Schedule 1 of the Schedule of Specified Care and Services will need to amend their services offering post 1 October 2022.

Should you require advice on your additional service offerings and the impact of the amendments please contact the Health and Aged Care Team at Thomson Geer.