Next month the royal commission will offer an opportunity for Northern Tasmanians to attend a public forum to discuss the current process and also make comments on the challenges, strengths and opportunities to improve aged care.

Hearings will be held in Hobart in November.

This commission into aged care is long overdue.

The stories told from the mainland have, at times, been harrowing to read.

To date, the hearings have uncovered issues with nutrition, severe abuse, regulation process and examples of an industry that is at times appears to be desensitised to poor care.

There has been evidence of severe neglect in individual cases and involving individual carers.

This is tough evidence to hear for those who work in the industry and are providing an excellent level of care within the system they operate.

And that's been one of the key points to come from this royal commission so far - the testimony of Professor Ron Paterson.

Professor Paterson, who co-authored a report into the review of aged care regulatory practices in Australia, told the royal commission there didn't appear to be much progress in implementing the recommendations and he was disappointed there was a lack of benchmarking information available to consumers.

He also said consumers lacked a strong voice in the aged care industry.

A voice that is finally being heard.

The inquiry is not just about the individual cases of neglect, but also ensuring the quality of aged care can be improved as the demand increases - in particular in Tasmania where our population is ageing at a rapid rate.

Hopefully, the voices will be heard and greater transparency introduced that will support staff, residents and their families.