The Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) is a proposed new assessment and funding model for residential aged care (RAC). Over the 12 months to March 2022, everyone living in a government-funded RAC facility (excluding residents in palliative care) will have an AN-ACC assessment. This ‘shadow assessment period’ will run alongside the current ACFI assessment process and is designed to facilitate an easy transition to the AN-ACC model.

The AN-ACC model aims to strengthen RAC funding and promote better care for senior Australians by:

• providing independent, accurate, and nationally consistent funding assessments
• removing the administrative burden of the ACFI assessments from aged care providers so they can spend more time providing high-quality and safe care.

AHA has been contracted to conduct AN-ACC assessments across Victoria. AHA will conduct about 40,000 assessments at 400 aged care facilities in the Western Metropolitan, Eastern Metropolitan, Grampians, Loddon-Mallee, and Gippsland regions of Victoria.

AHA’s assessment team comprises over 40 clinically qualified assessors, all of whom have more than 5 years of experience working in aged care and are committed to working with facility residents and staff respectfully and sensitively.

Further information about the reforms is on the Department of Health website. Department factsheets are also available about the Shadow Assessment Period and about the AN-ACC Funding Model.