The Aged Care Royal Commission asked for ideas about reform to the aged care system. Based on our experience as analysts of aged care, and as consultants who have listened to many individuals who use the system, we put together a submission on what we thought needed to change. You can read our submission here.

In September 2018, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a Royal Commission into the aged care sector. It came on the eve of the ABC’s Four Corners airing a two-part documentary that outlined some distressing cases of abuse or neglect in residential aged care. As Hamilton Stone directors Hannah (Ian) Holland and Lisa Fenn explain in our article in Australian Ageing Agenda this week, the individual cases will not remain the focus of the Royal Commission. We can expect its attention to move to systemic issues and broad policy questions.

Hamilton Stone director Hannah Holland has just read an excellent review by Tayler Lonsdale of the issues leading to the catastrophic fatal fire in Grenfell Tower in London. It is a well-written and accessible discussion that avoids the understandable vilification of those who have cut regulatory oversight and 'red tape', while still bluntly identifying important process failures. What can we learn?

Hamilton Stone directors Lisa Fenn and Hannah (Ian) Holland were pleased to be involved in the important discussion about costs and funding of child care. Our research, reported in the Canberra Times, showed that cost increases have disproportionately affected low income families while child care workers' pay remains significantly below average.

There are many different strategies and systems that help customers of social services, as well as the broader community, to find out about quality.  This isn't always simple, though information technology has opened up new options.  But you don't need to go digital to go the experts: consumers. What are the opportunities?