Aged care news highlights from the week ending 02 February 2021, aggregated by CompliSpace.

The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the aged care sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.

Coronavirus / COVID-19 News

Updated First 24 hours – managing COVID-19 in a residential aged care facility check list

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to The Department of Health, the first 24 hours in the management of a confirmed COVID-19 case in a residential aged care facility (RACF) is critical to minimise the spread of the virus. The First 24 hours – managing COVID-19 in a residential aged care facility check list describes the steps providers should take after the identification of a COVID-19 positive case over the:

• first 30 minutes
• minutes 30 to 60
• hours 2 to 3
• hours 4 to 6
• hours 6 to 12
• hours 12 to 24

Please familiarise yourself and your staff with the updated check list and use in conjunction with your COVID Outbreak Management Plan to minimise the spread of the virus.

Older Persons Advocacy Network—COVID-19 vaccine webinar and Q&A

According to the Department of Health, in February the Australian Government will begin a phased roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines to everyone living in Australia.

Residential aged care facility (RACF) workers and residents, GPs, other health professionals and people who regularly provide care and support visits or volunteer within RACFs will be among the first people who can choose to receive the vaccine.

Free online webinar

The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) will host a panel of medical professionals in a free webinar to discuss COVID-19 vaccination and provide information to help older Australians make an informed decision about being vaccinated.

The webinar will be held online this Thursday 4 February 2021 from 3–4pm AEDT.

Providers are encouraged to let aged care residents and consumers know about the online webinar and are welcome to view the webinar themselves.

A live question and answer session will follow the discussion.

How to register for the webinar

Register to attend the COVID-19 Vaccine – What You Need to Know webinar online.

The webinar will be held this Thursday 4 February 2021 from 3 – 4pm AEDT.

More information

More information about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is outlined in the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy and the COVID-19 Vaccines National Rollout Strategy.

More information about OPAN is available at opan.com.au. 

COVID jab optional for aged care workers

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the states and territories are following the Commonwealth’s new advice and not forcing aged care workers to have the COVID-19 vaccine, health departments across the country have told Australian Ageing Agenda. The Therapeutic Goods Administration granted provisional approval of Pfizer Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 years and over on Monday after it met safety, quality and efficiency requirements. Australia’s 318,000 aged care and disability workers and 190,000 aged care and disability residents remain at the top of the priority list to receive the vaccine, which will be administered in two doses at least 21 days apart from late February.

Aged Care Workforce Retention Payment – changed process to receive payment 3

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to The Department of Health, details about payment 3 of the Aged Care Workforce Retention (ACWR) program are being sent to existing grantees. The value of the third payment will be equal to the second payment, unless a variation to funding is requested.

As the third payment was not part of the original grant agreement, there is a change to the process to receive this payment:

1. The department will send an email to providers with a letter of variation.
2. Providers are required to email reply to the department, from an authorised representative’s printed name and signature block.
3. Once the email has been received, the department will process the payment.

Further information

• This process will also apply to providers who have previously applied for a payment 3 variation.
• If a further variation is required to payment 3, the email provides information on how to apply for a change in funding amount.

To find out more contact the department at ACWR@health.gov.au.

Aged care COVID funding offers temporary financial relief

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the government’s COVID-19 subsidy has been a “financial saviour” for many aged care providers but four in 10 homes are still operating at a loss, says an industry expert. For the three months ending September 2020, 44 per cent of homes recorded an operating loss, down from 52 per cent in the same quarter in 2019 and 58 per cent for the 2019-20 financial year, according to StewartBrown’s September 2020 Aged Care Financial Performance Survey of 1,140 aged care homes. The survey released last week shows aged care homes on average made a profit of $2.60 per bed per day before tax in the September quarter, up from a $1.69 loss 12 months earlier.

Update on COVID-19 vaccines

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to The Department of Health:

Therapeutic Goods Administration provisional approval of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia for people 16 years of age and older.

This means the vaccine has met the TGA’s rigorous standards for safety, quality and efficacy and that the roll-out of the national COVID-19 vaccination program is expected to begin in February. Residential aged care workers and residents are a priority and will be among the first people in Australia to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Australian Government’s COVID-19 Vaccines National Rollout Strategy has more information about the Phases of the vaccine rollout.

Australian Health Protection Principal Committee advice
While the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccination, at this time AHPPC does not recommend mandating COVID-19 vaccination for the aged care workforce. The AHPPC will continue to monitor the situation.

You can read more about this on the department's website.

Keep up to date with trusted information
You can find more information, including translated information, and subscribe to receive the COVID-19 Vaccines Updates on our COVID-19 vaccines website.

Updated NSW directions to aged care providers for visitors and staff

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to The Department of Health, NSW Health advice for both Residential Aged Care Facilities and Home Care Service Providers has been updated as of 28 January 2021. Aged care providers are encouraged to ensure they read the full advice.

There are restrictions for visitors, staff and residents of residential aged care facilities located in areas of concern where COVID-19 is circulating in the community.

In NSW these include:

• Cumberland City Council
• Suburbs in the Mount Druitt area - Bidwill, Blackett, Doonside, Dharruk, Emerton, Hebersham, Lethbridge Park, Minchinbury, Mount Druitt, Shalvey, Tregear, Whalan, Wilmot
• Rooty Hill
• Interstate and overseas
• Any person who has been to any contact tracing locations of interest in New Zealand since 14 January 2021.

For Residential Aged Care Facilities located in areas of concern, visitors should be excluded unless they are providing essential care to residents or for compassionate reasons.

For Residential Aged Care Facilities located in Greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains), a maximum of two people can visit each day per resident. Different people may visit each day.

For Residential Aged Care Facilities located in regional NSW, there are no restrictions on the number of visitations a resident can have each day or at any one time.

Updated Queensland directions for aged care providers and visitors

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to The Department of Health, Queensland Health has issued Aged Care Direction No.22 which came into effect from 1am on 22 January 2021. This direction is summarised below and we encourage you to be across the full detail of the direction.

There are no restricted Local Government Areas. A person can enter a residential aged care facility if they have been in Greater Brisbane since 2 January 2021.

Certain restrictions continue to apply to residential aged care facilities under the Aged Care Direction. Visitors, staff or volunteers at a residential aged care facility should not be anyone who:

• is unwell
• has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or asked to quarantine
• has returned from overseas in the last 14 days (excluding safe travel zone countries)
• has had contact with a person with COVID-19 in the last 14 days
• has visited a COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days or since the hotspot was declared (whichever is shorter)
• has been tested for COVID-19 and is waiting for the result (except for tests due to surveillance testing obligations)
• has COVID-19 symptoms of fever (37.5 degrees or more), cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of smell or taste, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or fatigue.
  
  

‘No criminality’ involved in deaths at Nedlands aged care home: police

According to WA Today, a police investigation into allegations of abuse at a Nedlands aged care home following the deaths of two men has uncovered no evidence of criminality. Officers launched a probe into Regis Nedlands last week amid claims of rough handling, aggressive staff, sexually inappropriate behaviour, and understaffing resulting in people not being bathed.

NSW homes perform worst on quality reviews

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, New South Wales aged care services performed the worst and below the national average on achieving all expected outcomes across each of the eight quality standards, a new report shows.

Aged care services in the ACT were not far behind performing below average on achieving all expected outcomes of seven of the standards, according to the Productivity Commission’s annual Report on Government Services.

Contrastingly, aged care facilities in Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania performed better than average on achieving all expected outcomes across all eight standards while all facilities reviewed in the Northern Territory achieved all expected outcomes for five standards.

Legislation

Disability Services (Transitional) Regulation 2021 (No. 3 of 2021) (QLD) – Commenced 1 February 2021

The objective of the Disability Services (Transitional) Regulation 2021 (Transitional Regulation) is to provide transitional arrangements for worker screening requirements for relevant residential aged care (RAC) providers and workers providing supports or services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to participants that are also receiving residential care from the provider.

Resources and Upcoming Events

Free webinar: understanding dementia and trauma in aged care – 2 Feb 2021, 4-5pm

(Note: this excerpt is from the Department of Health newsletter. We cannot provide a link to the full version of this story until the Department of Health uploads it to their website.)

According to The Department of Health, a person living with dementia may have experienced trauma at some point in their life. Dementia is a complex condition that can affect how the person responds to the lived experience of trauma from their past.

This webinar is provided by Phoenix Australia – the centre for posttraumatic mental health, under the Australians Government’s COVID-19 aged care grief and trauma response package.

This webinar is for clinical and wellbeing staff, health providers, leaders, managers, and peak bodies in the aged care sector. It will explore what dementia is; how trauma impacts people with dementia and what to look for; and how to use practical, trauma-informed strategies to support people impacted by dementia and trauma.

Speakers

• Arsh Katoch, Service Manager, Dementia Support Australia
• Nicole Sadler, Head, Policy and Practice, Phoenix Australia
• Jane Nursey, Director, Clinical Services, Phoenix Australia
• Dr Richard Bonwick, Psychiatrist

Date: Tuesday 2 February 2021
Time: 4 – 5pm.

Register for your free tickets (recommend to use Google Chrome). A recording of this webinar will be available for viewing after the session for anyone who is not available at this time.

Webinar series: Changes to regulatory arrangements for residential aged care providers supporting NDIS participants from 1 December 2020

According to the Department of Health, Residential Aged Care (RAC) providers supporting National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants will need to be registered* with the NDIS Commission from 1 December 2020. This also applies to RAC providers who start supporting NDIS participants after 1 December 2020. *Note that registration will be automatic for RAC providers with NDIS participants as at 1 December 2020.

Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) is currently delivering a series of webinars to help RAC providers with the transition and to understand their responsibilities.

Flu vaccination poster

The Department of Health has issued this Flu Vaccination Poster. Residential aged care facilities may wish to display the attached poster at entrances, to alert anyone entering the facility of the flu vaccination requirements that came into effect on 1 May 2020.

Older Person’s COVID-19 Support Line

According to The Department of Health, a new Older Person’s COVID-19 Support Line has been set up to provide information, support and check on older Australians during the period of social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. COTA Australia, National Seniors, Dementia Australia and the Older Person’s Advocacy Network have banded together to deliver this service with support from the Australian Government.

Senior Australians, their families and carers can freecall 1800 171 866 if they:

• would like to talk with someone about what COVID-19 means for them or a loved one
• are feeling lonely or distressed
• are caring for a someone and need some information or a listening ear about what COVID-19 means for your circumstances
• are worried about COVID-19 means for their usual aged care service
• are worried about a friend or family member living with dementia.
• are unable to access information on the internet and would like up-to-date advice.

Home care services providers can also use the number and dial option 1 to refer home care clients who would like a call from an independent organisation to check on their wellbeing.

The service will include outbound and inbound calls to provide contact, reassurance and practical advice on connecting to services to maximise social engagement and wellbeing whilst at home.

Resources on diverse population groups are now available for aged care staff

According to The Department of Health, The End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) website helps you to care for older Australians at the end of life. Our new diversity resources can help health workers and aged care staff to care for:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Care leavers
• Carers
• Culturally and linguistically diverse people
• Financially or socially disadvantaged people
• People experiencing homelessness
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people
• People living in rural and remote areas
• People with spirituality and faith beliefs
• Veterans

How people think about death, dying and end of life is different for each person. Learning about these differences can help you to provide good palliative care. Access these resources on the Diverse Population Groups page of the ELDAC website.

What Matters Most – New person centred care resources

According to The Department of Health, Palliative Care Australia, through a Dementia and Aged Care Services Fund grant, has launched a suite of resources to encourage early conversations about What Matters Most to older people, their care and their end of life preferences.

6 steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care

Issued by the Department of Health, this infographic outlines the 6 steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care.

Aged care video alert: Dignity of risk

According to Lexology, the concept of dignity of risk is not entirely new, however it now has a position of prominence in aged care with the Aged Care Quality Standards. In this video update, senior associate Dr Melanie Tan explains:

• What does dignity of risk mean?
• Where and when does dignity of risk apply?
• What is the duty of care within dignity of risk?