Making a Plan and Checking it Twice: Aged Care COVID-19 Advice from the ACQSC
A second wave of COVID-19 is currently being experienced by several of our communities, particularly within Victoria and NSW, and a large percentage of cases are older people within our aged care homes. While previously only a few facilities were impacted by COVID-19, we have never experienced the number of infectious outbreaks impacting such a large number of Aged Care Homes at one time as are currently being reported across Melbourne.
Throughout the pandemic the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Commission) has monitored and supported providers to develop their outbreak management plans and strategies to identify and mitigate pandemic related risks. Drawing on these experiences, the Commission has now published a specific resource for residential aged care services titled COVID-19 Are you Alert and Ready?
Prepared by the Commission’s Chief Clinical Advisor, Dr Melanie Wroth, this resource is intended to support residential aged care services to prepare for and respond to a COVID-19 outbreak. The resource sets out nine key areas that need to be addressed if an aged care provider is to effectively respond to a COVID-19 outbreak. The resource focuses particularly on the responsibilities of the management team and provides links to further information.
In this article we break the Commission’s resource down to a list of practical tasks and requirements and provide links to further resources. We also highlight some of the important things that the resource does not address.
The Nine Key Areas
The nine key areas suggested in the Commission’s resource are:
- Planning – managing the risk of exposure to the virus and the impact of isolation on consumers
- Screening – staff, visitors, and entrants to the Homes
- Infection Prevention and Control
- Layout of the Service
- Service Provision
- Staffing – particularly loss of staff if an outbreak were to occur
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – requirements in the event of an outbreak
- Communication
- Consumer wellbeing
Summary of the Nine Key Areas with Links to Further Resources
Topic |
Information Summary |
Other Resources |
1. Planning |
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2. Screening |
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3. Infection Prevention and Control |
Check and regularly monitor:
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4. Layout of the Service |
Understand the layout of your service by:
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5. Service Provision |
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6. Staffing |
If needed, where would you access extra staff to support the meeting of care and service needs of consumers? During an outbreak, how will staff be supported to allow them to continue to work while also protecting themselves and their families? Ensure you have maintained good staff records, that include:
Plan and ensure you can estimate the number as well as type of workforce that would be required in an outbreak. This plan should consider:
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7. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) |
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8. Communication |
It is important to:
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9. Consumer wellbeing |
Consumer wellbeing needs to be a focus throughout the lockdown period. The negative impact of isolation cannot be underestimated. The outbreak plan needs to include ways to prevent deterioration or consumers from occurring. This includes ways to prevent deterioration in relation to their physical condition, mobility, strength, independent function, social connectedness, psychological and emotional wellbeing and nutritional status. |
Key Issues that the Commission’s Resource Does Not Address
The Commission’s resource says little about staff training and staff wellbeing.
For those of you who have had the experience of a COVID-19 outbreak or other infectious outbreak it is essential that time is invested in monitoring, reviewing, and supporting staff. This is to ensure that fundamental infection control and prevention practices are appropriately implemented.
During an outbreak, staff will need an enormous amount of energy to sustain the required practices and additional tasks. This will put immense pressure on their wellbeing. Your workforce is your most valuable resource and fundamental in your preparedness and the activation of the Home’s outbreak management plan, so it is vital that you have reliable procedures in place to monitor staff wellbeing and relieve pressure on particular staff as needed.
Conclusion
Do not underestimate COVID-19. Remember that this continues to be a rapidly changing area. Ensure you regularly monitor available resources and Commonwealth and State updates. Continually review your outbreak management plan and ensure that that you and your workforce are prepared if a COVID-19 outbreak does occur. Your outbreak management plan and your workforce are your best risk management strategy and your first line of defence.
Further Resources
- Department of Health: First 24 Hours - Managing Covid-19 In A Residential Aged Care Facility
- ACE: Managing COVID-19 in a Residential Aged Care Facility: The First 24 Hours Checklist
- ACE: Coronavirus / COVID-19: Updated Simple List of Resources for Aged Care Providers
About the Author
Ruth Greene
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