The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care has extended two more contracts to Accenture to assist with delivering IT capabilities in the aged care sector over the next two years. 

Last month July, the IT service giant was awarded contracts roughly worth A$300 million ($200 million) – A$289 million ($190 million) and A$10.5 million ($7 million) – to support the delivery of technology underpinning the New Aged Care Act. Specifically, Accenture is tasked with the design and implementation of workforce application solutions on the Salesforce MuleSoft platform. 

"This workforce uplift supports the temporary demands of reform initiatives while ensuring the ongoing capability and capacity to maintain the future aged care digital ecosystem is retained in the department’s permanent workforce," a spokesperson for the department said.

"Accenture will continue to augment the permanent [Australian Public Service] workforce, along with other service integrators in the department’s competitive multi-vendor environment, during a period of significant reform and digital uplift for the aged care sector."

In a newly published report into the aged care reform progress, Acting Inspector-General of Aged Care Ian Yates said systemic workforce issues persist, including inadequate resourcing, critical nursing shortages, and limited professional development and workplace support, and are "yet to be wholly addressed by current reforms."

THE LARGER CONTEXT

The department also issued last year an A$156.9 million ($100 million) contract to Accenture for the design and rollout of a new IT system for aged care providers. The Government Provider Management System (GPMS) replaces the two-decade-old National Approved Provider System. A key initiative outlined in the department's 10-year digital health blueprint, the GPMS allows aged care providers to self-manage, view, and maintain their records with the government. 

"With the baseline solution built, the department is continuing to develop new functionality and components on the GPMS portal to meet the ongoing requirements of planned reform measures, new government policy initiatives, and legislative requirements," the department spokesperson said.

To date, the Australian government invested at least A$1.5 billion ($990 million) in the ICT modernisation of the aged care sector. This came following recommendations by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which found the sector "deeply analogue" and "well behind" in the uptake of digital technologies. An initial A$312.6 million ($200 million) was earmarked in the Budget 2022 to meet the royal commission's 30 ICT-related recommendations. In Budget 2024, at least A$1.2 billion ($790 million) was set aside for "significant technology and platform maintenance and enhancements."