Aged care news highlights from the week ending 10 February 2023, 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.
According to Aged Care Insite, nearly 500 older Australians in aged care have died from Covid-19 as of early 2023. Recent data from the Health Department revealed a 19 per cent increase of Covid deaths in residential care from December 1st until February 3rd. This is a stark contrast to the months before, where between November 3rd to December 1st, 161 deaths were reported.
According to The Weekly Source, more than 5,000 aged care residents have now died from COVID-19. The latest data from 3 February, reveals that 5,067 residents have died from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic. There are outbreaks in 198 aged care facilities.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, Australia’s aged care providers will shortly be contacted by the Department of Health and Aged Care encouraging them to offer residents another Covid-19 booster vaccination.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the 2023 round of the Residents’ Experience Survey (previously known as Consumer Experience Interviews) is set to commence from February 2023. The survey offers older people in residential aged care the opportunity to share feedback about their quality of care and informs the Residents’ Experience Rating in Star Ratings. Details of an upcoming information webinar will be available shortly. Visit the department’s Residents’ Experience Surveys webpage for more information and to view the 2023 list of questions.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the second Quarterly Financial Report (QFR) for 2022–23 is due in one week. Approved providers are reminded to submit their quarter 2 QFR through the Forms Administration portal by 14 February. Late submissions, including failure to respond to requests for resubmission of care minutes data by 7 March, will not be accepted for the Star Ratings process. This will result in a 1 Star Rating for the Staffing sub-category. View resources to assist with QFR reporting:
For support with care minutes reporting, email qfr@stewartbrown.com.au A data collection helpdesk is also available. For help, please call (02) 4403 0640 or email enquiries to health@formsadministration.com.au
According to Aged Care Insite, an aged care watchdog report released last Tuesday last has revealed a five-year downward trend of Australia's providers meeting quality standards. Just over half of the nation's aged care providers met the benchmark for personal and clinical care, according to data from the Productivity Commission's (PC) report.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, following the successful implementation of the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) funding model, the ACFR@health.gov.au mailbox will no longer be actively monitored from Friday 17 February 2023. For general enquiries, residential aged care providers should contact the My Aged Care service provider and assessor helpline on 1800 836 799. This helpline is open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 10am-2pm Saturday. Issues that cannot be resolved by the My Aged Care contact centre will then be referred to the department’s AN-ACC Operations Team.
For detailed funding information, providers are encouraged to use the Aged Care Funding Reform resources, including the AN-ACC Funding Guide.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, providers delivering specialised care for diverse groups can apply for independent verification marked by a tick on their profile on the My Aged Care website. Specialisations include care for:
Any specialisations for diverse groups listed on your My Aged Care profile that have not been verified will be removed on 27 February 2023. Find out how to apply for independent verification and review the Specialisation Framework for more detail.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, rural and remote aged care providers can access workforce support through the Rural Locum Assistance Program (LAP) Aged Care. The program helps services affected by high staff turnover, sudden departures of key personnel, or those needing to cover staff taking annual leave or time off for training in rural and remote Australia. Find more information on the Rural LAP website.
According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) conducts research in collaboration with aged care workers, providers, researchers and people who use aged care services. ARIIA is an industry-led, independent and not-for-profit organisation. Round 4 of ARIIA Research Grants are now open and will close on 17 February. Grants up to $160,000 (ex GST) are available for research projects that address one of the priority areas. Find out more on the ARIIA website.
According to Community Care Review, healthy ageing initiatives can reduce financial strains and other pressures on aged care and public health services in rural areas of Australia, a report has found.
According to Inside Ageing, the latest report from UnitingCare, the ‘Year in Review’, has raised the alarm on the growing problem of elder abuse in Queensland. According to the report, the Elder Abuse Prevention Unit (EAPU) Helpline received 2,338 abuse notification calls in the 2021-2022 financial year, which is a 15.6% increase compared to the previous year.
According to Inside Ageing, Catholic Health Australia (CHA), a not-for-profit peak body representing 12% of Australia’s aged care facilities, is calling for wealthy Australians to contribute more to their aged care to ensure the sector’s survival. CHA is requesting the government to include housing wealth in means testing and allow providers to set their own daily fees. With 70% of residential homes operating at a loss in the third quarter of 2022, CHA claims that the aged care sector is under severe financial stress and needs a capital investment of $48 billion by 2030.
According to The Weekly Source, with the countdown on to May’s Federal Budget, the major aged care providers and peak bodies are using the opportunity to back a user pays system – but discussion shows that there is still a need to convince the community. A story published on the front page of The Australian this week titled ‘Call for wealthy to pay more for aged care’ has seen Catholic Health Australia (CHA), Council on the Ageing Australia (COTA), the Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) and StewartBrown all lend their voice to the need for greater consumer contributions from older Australians who can afford to pay.
According to Aged Care Insite, the pay rise for aged care staff will help attract more men to the care sector, an aged care peak body has said, but more than 15 per cent is needed. Aged Care Workforce Industry Council (ACWIC) 's response comes after CEDA's report released in January called for action to address Australia's high levels of gender segregation.
According to Aged Care Insite, Providers will see reforms to home care packages, a second deadline for the financial report and an updated star rating score in the first quarter of 2023. Aged Care Minister Anika Wells introduced two pieces of legalisation in July 2022 in response to the recommendations made by in Royal Commission. The changes included revisions to home care packages, a new star rating tool and an official code of conduct for providers and staff.
No significant developments this week.
This Bill will amend the Guardianship and Management of Property Act 1991 (GMP Act) to explicitly introduce the concept of supported decision-making as a consideration in decisions relating to the appointment of guardians and managers, and as a decision-making principle for guardians and managers, to encourage the use of supported decision-making where possible.