ERA the Victorian member of the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) welcomes the release of an independent evaluation of the National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP).

Through the NACAP, the Department of Health and Aged Care funds 235 independent advocates and support staff across OPAN’s national 9-member network to support the right of older people to access and receive the aged care and services they need.

The overwhelming majority (90%) of the older people surveyed in the Australian Healthcare Associates (AHA) evaluation felt they had received better aged care services because of that support. More than 80% reported an increased awareness of the services available to them, including advocacy, and their aged care rights. The evaluators also found that the NACAP was successfully empowering older people to self-advocate – 74% of those surveyed felt more confident to discuss their needs.

“The network’s advocates provided more than 44,000 cases of information and advocacy support in the last financial year – a 20% increase on the previous year. Given the significant increases in the network’s case volume, I could not be more thrilled by these results. To me, they reflect the strength of our consortium model, which enables members to take a targeted, localised approach to the challenges facing older people while being supported by a national framework.” OPAN CEO Craig Gear.

More than 700 stakeholders, including older people, aged care staff, advocates and government representatives, were consulted for the AHA evaluation, commissioned by the Department of Health and Aged Care to assess the NACAP’s efficiency and effectiveness.

National Aged Care Advocacy Program Evaluation Final report | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care describes it as “a highly valued program providing much-needed support and delivering positive outcomes for older people, including those with diverse needs.” Evaluators noted that advocacy cases were becoming more complex but found that network members were successfully reaching vulnerable target groups.

“ERA is a proud founding member of the Older Persons Advocacy Network. We have been delivering the NACAP and promoting the human rights of older Victorians for over 30 years and we look forward to the new rights based Aged Care Act coming into effect on 1st July 2025”. ERA CEO Debra Nicholl.