Healthcare takes a special kind of person; recruitment within this sector is no different. We have a growing number of specialist healthcare offices who solely dedicate themselves to providing care with this unique industry.

Aged-care is undergoing a systemic shift, it’s been happening for over half a decade. Neil Adams, from Workforce Extensions – Lakewood Health has experienced this change first hand. “At Lakewood Health, we’ve seen an increase in inquiries to assist with home care for people electing to stay in their own home or family members preferring this option over Residential Aged Care. We work with many reputable residential aged care providers, who provide outstanding care and a great environment for their residents, so we counsel families to consider and research all their options. Aged-care is an important decision; families shouldn’t reduce their options based on some overarching bad press.”

The federal government announced a $1.6 billion boost, 20/21, for an additional 23,000 home-care packages (HCP), to help care for older Australians in their own home. Also, due in 20/21 is a technology upgrade, aimed at driving efficiencies, ensuring that funding reaches applicants in a timely manner, rather than the current six months to a 12-months. Many of the digital tools will be self-service aimed at improving client-centred care and giving elderly Australians greater control over the care they receive. The average age of someone entering a HCP is 80 (men)/81 (women) . We sincerely hope that technology is accessible.

Tech upgrades are also planned for the Disability sector. Joseph Ooi, from Workforce Extensions – Strathfield Health, is optimistic about the tech upgrade “moving to cloud-based technologies will hopefully expedite the application process for our clients and provide immediate and accurate information when providing care. The customer portal will allow for better engagement and support self-management — a key element of client-centred care”.

Choice is always the best option; whilst there is a shift in awareness and funds towards HCP, a significant portion of funding is still allocated towards institutional care. By providing quality choices for vulnerable people in our community, we are providing the best care.