Aged care providers objected to proposed regulations that could have made air conditioning mandatory in nursing homes.

Key points: A requirement to provide a "comfortable internal temperature" was dropped from the final regulations

A requirement to provide a "comfortable internal temperature" was dropped from the final regulations Aged care advocates believe the guidelines will make regulating nursing homes more difficult

Aged care advocates believe the guidelines will make regulating nursing homes more difficult Peak bodies representing aged care providers will appear before the royal commission

Peak industry body Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) opposed a draft regulation requiring aged care facilities provide a "comfortable internal temperature".

"This may be interpreted that all services are required to have air-conditioning. This needs to be clarified in the rationale and evidence section," LASA said in a submission on the regulations.

The Government spent 18 months consulting on the new regulations, which will be introduced this July. But there is no longer any reference to providing a "comfortable internal temperature" to nursing home residents.

Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt said the new regulations require nursing homes to provide a "comfortable and safe service environment" and nursing home residents could be questioned on whether they can "change the lighting, air flow and heating".

However, he did not respond to the ABC's question about whether air conditioning in nursing homes should be mandatory.

LASA issued a statement saying the organisation supports the new regulatory standards and "this includes circumstances where delivering on this standard warrants the use of appropriate heating and cooling".

The NSW president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Kean-Seng Lim, said there should be regulations to ensure the elderly are kept cool as Australia's summer temperatures soar.

"We do know that on hot days and during heat waves, the number of people who get admitted to hospital goes up substantially and we know that those who are admitted are more likely to be the elderly," Dr Lim said.

On page 14 of LASA's submission to the draft standards, the peak body opposed a draft regulation requiring aged care providers provide a "comfortable internal temperature".

"The health of the elderly is something we should put first. If that means we have to have some regulation to look at the ways of controlling the ambient temperature around those living in aged care facilities, then I think this should be there."

Final aged care regulations 'as vague as possible'

The air temperature wasn't the only proposed regulation which disappeared from the final version.

LASA also objected to a requirement that nursing homes identify and manage high risk conditions such as "pressure injuries, medication misadventure, choking, malnutrition, dehydration, pain and delirium".

"Having a list may give the impression only those incidences listed need to be monitored to meet this standard or it could be taken more literally," it said in its 2017 submission on the draft regulations.

"LASA has reservations about 'lists' per se, given they can change over time."

In the final set of regulations released by the Government, that list was removed and the regulation changed to require the nursing home "manages high impact or high prevalence risks".

Paul Versteege from Combined Pensioners Superannuants Association is critical of the final regulations, saying they are vague and will make regulating nursing homes even more difficult.

"Dropping that reference means there's more wriggle room for a provider to escape any penalties for not meeting the standards," he said.

"It's a clear example of where the aged care industry wants the standards to be as vague as possible."

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Mr Versteege fronted the royal commission last week and talked about the disproportionate influence the industry has on government policy.

He said the omission of the reference to comfortable temperatures was an example of this.

"It's an example of the government pandering to aged care interests, because if you don't make reference to comfortable internal temperatures, it simply means that no attention needs to be paid to it," he said.

"In other words, facilities that are older don't have to retrofit air conditioning, they can simply continue as they are with temperatures soaring."

The peak bodies representing aged care providers will prepare for their appearance before the Royal Commission into Aged Care in Adelaide tomorrow.