The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has introduced the Partnerships in Care Program (PiC) to provide continued support to aged care residents during periods of outbreak. The program emphasises a “person-centred approach” to ongoing care routines between a resident and their family and/or close friends.
This article will outline the roles of the partners and the providers in the PiC program and the benefits it yields for residents. It will also provide resources for aged care providers to establish PiC program in their service.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) outlines pre-requisites of a partner as:
Joining the PiC program formalises the relationship of care between the partner and the resident, giving the partner an ongoing role in the resident’s care and support routine.
The partner will need to undergo an induction process to be officially recognised by the program. Partners need to be aware of hand hygiene, wearing a mask and strategies to reduce the spread of infection during visitation and in the event of an outbreak. A link to the partner resource guide can be found below. Examples of the types of support a partner may provide include:
The ACQSC recommends eight steps for residential care providers to successfully implement the PiC program:
A notable advantage of implementing the PiC program is that in the event of an outbreak, there is a continuity of support for the resident. While there may be a brief period where visitation halts while the outbreak management plan is formulated, partners should return to their usual routines as soon as possible. Additionally, providers need to identify possible risks arising from the PiC program and must review these frequently through effective risk management processes. Providers need to consider that the risk mitigation strategies may need to be different in an outbreak and this should be reflected in the risk management plan.
Partners should also be given a clear avenue to raise concerns regarding risks or incidents. Above all, consistent communication between the resident’s support team and their Partner in Care is an essential aspect of having a successful PiC program. The communication channel needs to run both ways, with partners feeling comfortable expressing concerns to staff, and staff feeling confident that they can rely on the ongoing support that the partner has agreed to provide.
Residents have the right, even in an outbreak, to have at least one visitor. Implementing the PiC program formalises this right and ensures that residents do not suffer the impact of isolation. The Department of Health’s Interim Guidance on Managing Public Health Restrictions on Residential Aged Care Facilities outlines these impacts of isolation:
By implementing the PiC program, a service is promoting overall wellbeing of residents and their quality of life. This helps to prevent the impacts of isolation by:
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has released four main sources of information for providers and partners regarding the PiC program. These are:
Also consider: