Ian Axford Fellowships seminar: April Ferrino – Improving the Quality of Age-Related Residential Care through the Regulatory Process

Fulbright New Zealand, IPANZ and the Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy Board invite you to the first in a series of public seminars by this year’s three Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellows in Public Policy.

About the author

April Ferrino, 2013 Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellow in Public Policy

April Ferrino is a Policy Analyst at the Texas Legislative Budget Board in Austin. During April’s seven month Ian Axford Fellowship exchange to New Zealand she has been based at the Ministry of Health in Wellington, researching how the quality of care in rest homes can be improved through regulatory processes.

Abstract

The need for long-term care services and supports for older adults is immediate and overdue in many countries. With individuals’ increasing longevity comes the need for long-term care services and supports to assist persons to maintain the ability to perform daily activities and routines.

Despite the vast differences in the New Zealand and US regulatory systems for age-related residential care, each country continues to grapple with quality of care issues. One country’s system is not superior to the other. Each has its own characteristics stemming from their respective country’s origins and development.

Society’s concept of what high quality aged residential care is continues to evolve. In the US, data collection is the cornerstone of its aged residential care quality improvement processes. With the introduction of the international Resident Assessment into age-related residential care, New Zealand is at the beginning of its initiative to establish how data will be used to inform regulatory and policy decisions about improving the quality of care.

This report: (1) provides a brief overview of the New Zealand and US long-term care systems with a focus on aged residential care, (2) discusses age-related care regulation: its models, influences, and significant regulatory reform efforts, (3) describes quality improvement efforts in New Zealand and the US, and (4) provides ten recommendations how New Zealand can support quality improvement efforts in age-related residential care. The ten recommendations are grouped into four themes to address gaps and strengthen current efforts to support quality improvement efforts. They are:

• Incentivise Person-centred Care,
• Assist Providers with Quality Improvement,
• Expand Penalty and Sanction Options for Regulators, and
• Use Data and Technology to Support Quality Improvement Efforts.

Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy seminars

Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy are for outstanding mid-career professionals from the United States of America to research, travel and gain practical experience in public policy in New Zealand for seven months, during which time they are hosted at relevant government agencies in Wellington and work towards publishing a policy report. Their reports are launched at a series of seminars, and are subsequently available to download from the Fulbright New Zealand website.

There are three Ian Axford Fellowship seminars in 2013:

• Monday 19 August:
  April Ferrino – Improving the Quality of Age-Related Residential Care through the Regulatory Process;
• Wednesday 21 August:
  Eileen Harrity – Vocational Pathways: Using Industry Partnerships and Personalised Learning to Improve Student Outcomes;
• Friday 23 August:
  MJ Kaplan – Growing the Next Generation of Social Entrepreneurs and Start-ups in New Zealand.

The seminars are jointly presented by Fulbright New Zealand and IPANZ. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Registrations are required, at www.ipanz.org.nz