Katherine Formica: “Starting early made all the difference”
5 minute read
We spoke with Katherine Formica, Nurse Unit Manager at Echuca Regional Health, about what the first 100 days under the new aged care system have looked like on the ground – where the pressure points are emerging, what’s been most challenging, and what her team is focusing on next.
Katherine describes a period marked by confusion for clients and increased pressure on services, particularly where funding hasn’t matched care needs.
What stands out most is her team’s commitment to advocacy. Despite rising administrative demands and complex system navigation, they’ve stayed focused on making sure clients continue to receive safe and appropriate care at home.
Q: Looking back over the first 100 days, what’s surprised you most since 1 November?
The level of confusion among Support at Home clients has been the biggest surprise.
We’ve also seen a significant reduction in services for people who have transitioned to the new home care package levels. Some clients have reduced or cancelled medication support, while others need more visits than their funding allows for adequate wound care.
In a few cases, we’ve had to access emergency CHSP funding so clients can continue receiving medication support and live safely at home. That’s something we’ve never had to do before.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for your organisation or team since 1 November?
The increase in administrative work has been substantial, especially the paperwork required by home care providers.
Navigating My Aged Care with clients has also taken a lot of time. We’ve needed to provide extensive support and education to both clients and their families.
Another challenge was having all service agreements in place by 1 November. We had to bring on an additional staff member for a week to make that happen.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for you personally as a leader in this period?
A big part of my role has been managing the stress levels of patients and carers.
There’s been a lot of time spent supporting and reassuring people so they can continue accessing the care they need. Ongoing education for the community nursing team has also been challenging.
The End-of-Life package has been another major issue. It’s created a lot of stress within the team, especially as we haven’t been able to access it yet for patients who meet the criteria.
Q: What approach, change or piece of work has been most successful so far?
Starting early has made all the difference.
We began preparing about 18 months ago by setting up an aged care reform working group and connecting with SSD. Without that early work, we wouldn’t be in a position to meet the current requirements.
Q: What are you most proud of from the last 100 days?
I’m incredibly proud of our Team Leader and the entire team.
Their advocacy, dedication and commitment to clients has remained strong, even with the added administrative pressure. They’ve continued to make sure people receive the care they need, no matter how challenging things have been.
Q: How has the SSD Connect Alliance helped your team post 1 November?
We don’t know where we’d be without them!
They’ve provided invaluable support and guidance, and they’re always available for a conversation or encouragement. They bring a huge amount of knowledge and resources, and they always follow up quickly when we need something.
We read the keeping you connected newsletter and make sure to enrol in at least one education session each time it’s released.
The education they’ve provided is a big reason we’ve stayed on track and been able to keep moving forward with confidence.
Q: How is your team feeling about the next 100 days?
Our focus is on maintaining stability and continuing to provide feedback to the Department.
We’ll keep advocating for older people to make sure they receive the care they need. A key priority is accessing the End-of-Life package for our palliative care patients.
We’re also concerned about clients currently receiving time-limited emergency CHSP funding. There’s uncertainty about what happens when that runs out, especially if reassessments aren’t completed in time or don’t result in adequate funding.
We’re also seeing situations where the “no worse off” principle doesn’t seem to be holding in practice, which remains an ongoing concern.
Thank you Katherine for sharing your reflections and insights from the first 100 days.
Katherine’s experience highlights the growing pressure on services where funding and care needs don’t align – and the critical role of advocacy in supporting older people to remain safe at home.
As the next phase unfolds, the focus will remain on stability, system navigation and ensuring clients continue to receive the level of care they need.
