Last week, Cater Care had the honour of attending the 8th PASA Annual Health & Aged Care Procurement Conference in Sydney as an Exhibitor Sponsor. PASA conferences are the largest gathering of health and aged care sector procurement teams in the country, and this year’s conference was an excellent opportunity to gauge the mood and health of the procurement and supply industry, while addressing key upcoming issues that the industry is facing.
The aged care agenda
The central theme during this conference was the overall mood of the economy, and the daunting task of making healthcare more affordable for an ageing population. There was discussion about the wider financial situation in aged care and the difficulties providers are facing. However, this was undercut by the optimism of presenters and attendees after the announcement of the Federal Government’s new funding package for aged care. Many sessions were focused around the best ways to reduce operational costs while maintaining or improving the quality of care, and we’re pleased to see that aged care contract catering is being seriously considered as a viable option to reduce overhead for providers – a conclusion supported by the findings in our latest eBook about catering in aged care.
Forging the Links in the Supply Chain
In addition to the wider economic factors, presenters also extensively addressed the health and conditions of Australia’s supply chains. Key speakers confirmed what we already suspected; supply chains are well and truly still feeling the effects of the “COVID hangover”. Across all nations and industries, supply chains have failed to bounce back in the way we’d hoped – a problem exacerbated by a deteriorating supply situation in Europe and ongoing disruptions in China. Despite the issues this presents, the overall mood was optimistic: presenters were confident that the situation has recovered to the point where care providers can readily find alternate suppliers and solutions for any issues that might arise, and provided extensive advice on optimising already existing supply chains to avoid any issues appearing in the first place.
The Way Forward
All in all, this tied into the largest greater-scope question that touched every corner of the conference: what does the future of health and aged care in Australia look like? Between rising inflation, the costs of healthcare, and the demand for the industry to change in the aftermath of the Royal Commission, everybody understood that the industry must change in order to thrive in the new market.
Nonetheless, there was a shared certainty that the industry can and will rise to meet the challenges ahead. Even with challenging times ahead, the situation looks bright:
The 8th PASA Annual Health & Aged Care Procurement Conference was an excellent meeting of the minds in the aged care procurement space, and we’re proud to have been offered the opportunity to exhibit. It was a great opportunity to network with the buyers and suppliers currently making moves in the industry, as well as taking the opportunity to discuss our own aged care offerings.
If you’re interested in learning more about the procurement issues the industry currently faces, we go into more detail in our latest eBook about catering in aged care. We’ll also be attending the upcoming ACCPA conference in October if you’d like to speak with the Cater Care team face to face again, or alternatively you can reach out to us at the details below:
Jonathan Storer
Client Development Manager – Cater Care
Ph: 0424 190 566
jonathan.storer@catercare.com.au
