Aged care news highlights from the week ending 11 May 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.
(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, with local transmission of COVID-19 detected in NSW, for residential aged care facilities within the Greater Sydney area, including metropolitan Sydney, Nepean Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong:
Visitors and staff must not enter the facility at all if they:
Western Australia is currently considered an affected area, with a number of places of high concern.
NSW aged care providers can find out more information and are encouraged to stay up to date via the NSW Health website.
Further information and advice
Please visit the Australian Government Department of Health website for information and resources to assist in preparing and managing a COVID-19 outbreak, including what to do in the first 24 hours of an outbreak in a residential aged care facility.
(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 ACT Government has provided updated advice for high-risk settings. The Public Health (COVID-19 Areas of Concern) Notice 2021 has been updated and includes known exposure locations in NSW and WA and source investigation locations in NSW. This Notice is updated regularly as new exposure locations are identified.
The following locations are geographical areas of risk (see list of local government areas (LGA)):
Anyone who has been in a geographical area of risk should not visit or work in a high-risk setting for 14 days after leaving the affected area.
Under Public Health Directions in the ACT, quarantine is mandatory for:
For more information and to stay up to date, please regularly check the ACT Health website.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Australian Government has launched a new COVID-19 vaccination strategy for residential aged care staff setting out four options to get the jab. The four-pathway plan released this week aims to help ensure workers can access a vaccine as quickly and safely as possible. In line with the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommendations, aged care staff aged 50 years and over will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine and those under the age of 50 will be offered the Pfizer vaccine.
According to Aged Care Guide, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been labelled a "giant stuff-up" by aged care workers with an industry survey finding staff have been left in the dark around when or where they should be vaccinated even though they were meant to be a part of the Government rollouts first phase.
According to Aged Care Insite, while approximately eight million Australians over 50 are eligible, receiving the AstraZeneca jab may depend on what state you live in. Victorians can book an appointment at one of the state-run centres or walk into one but that will require a wait. They can also phone 1800 675 398 to make an appointment. However, New South Wales health officials have said they would focus on priority groups state-run centres from May 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, Primary Health Networks (PHNs) are coordinating efforts for individuals who have missed their second Pfizer vaccine dose to access one through local solutions such as attending another aged care facility, referral to a Pfizer hub in limited circumstances, or a roving in-reach team re-visiting the facility.
Residential aged care facilities should contact their local PHN to report aged care residents and others that require a second dose of Pfizer vaccine and to work with the PHN to establish local solutions to ensure that those people that need a second dose of Pfizer can access one.
Individuals such as GPs, visitors, visiting workers, or others who have missed a second Pfizer dose and are unsure whether the residential aged care facility has reported them to the local PHN, should contact the aged care facility or local PHN directly to self-identify as requiring a second Pfizer dose, and be included in local solutions.
Advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends that the interval between two doses of the Pfizer (Comirnaty) COVID-19 vaccine is at least 21 days. The minimum acceptable interval between the two doses is 19 days. It is recommended to complete the two-dose course within six weeks.
Individuals who have missed the six-week interval are still recommended to get a second Pfizer dose. A two-dose course is recommended for all individuals for optimal protection.
If a second dose of Pfizer vaccine is administered later than the recommended interval, a third dose of Pfizer vaccine does not need to be given.
(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, on 27 April, the Department of Health emailed all residential aged care facilities an information pack on the vaccination pathways for workers in residential aged care including:
The fact sheet and poster will shortly be available in 20 languages.
The COVID-19 eligibility checker continues to be updated with information on where to get a vaccination:
Sydney-based residential aged care workers aged under 50 can now access a COVID-19 Pfizer vaccination at two clinics located in Blacktown and Campbelltown, Sydney.
These clinics are dedicated to aged and disability care workers in the Sydney area. The Blacktown Pfizer clinic opened on Monday 3 May and the Campbelltown Pfizer clinic opens on Monday 10 May.
Information about how workers can book a vaccination has been provided to each Sydney-based aged care facility directly to share with their workforce.
Facilities will be advised as further clinics become available in other parts of Australia.
(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 Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) hosted their third COVID-19 vaccine webinar on Monday 3 May to discuss the vaccine rollout to older Australians, aged care residents and the aged care workforce.
You can watch a replay of the webinar online.
(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, please note that the Victorian Workplace (Additional Industry Obligations) Directions have been amended and the worker asymptomatic (surveillance) testing for residential aged care facilities requirement is now recommended, not mandatory.
This means that it is no longer mandatory for Victorian facilities to facilitate asymptomatic testing, nor are there specific targets on the frequency of testing.
Asymptomatic testing of the RACF workforce in Victoria will continue to be requested to assist the management of emerging risks (such as if there is a significant waste water detection or localised community transmission).
You can view the current surveillance testing requirements.
In Victoria, Melbourne Pathology is continuing to provide a dedicated pathology services for rapid sample collection and testing for COVID-19 in RACFs in symptomatic cases.
RACFs can contact Melbourne Pathology for assistance by using the RACF Melbourne Pathology Hotline on 1800 570 573 (8am – 6pm).
According to Aged Care Insite, a NSW aged care worker has had her unfair dismissal claim rejected after she was sacked for refusing to have a flu jab, The Guardian reported. Jennifer Kimber, a receptionist with Imlay House in Pambula on the NSW south coast, refused to take the flu jab in 2020 as she claimed to have had an adverse reaction to a previous flu jab in 2016.
(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, from 1 July 2021, residential aged care providers will be required to collect and report on new quality indicators under the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program):
The QI Program Manual 2.0 – Part A is now available on the department’s website.
The Manual includes new quality indicator definitions, collection and reporting requirements for the QI Program from 1 July 2021.
According to Inside Ageing, aged care providers have been reminded to update and expand their compliance program ahead of new falls and anti-psychotic medication quality indicators being launched within weeks. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has outlined the updated National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program, which will include new provisions for falls that lead to major injury, as well as medication management. In a reminder sent to providers, ACQSA said the program would lead to improved for residents and clients.
According to Hospital and Healthcare, a study examining burnout exposure and the mental health of practitioners and nurses reveals widespread feelings of exhaustion, with healthcare bureaucracy cited as a key factor of overload.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Federal Budget will contain funding for 30,000 home care packages and residential daily living services, a leading aged care economist predicts. Grant Corderoy, senior partner at accounting firm StewartBrown, told an industry briefing in Sydney on Tuesday night that as far as aged care funding is concerned next week’s budget will have “more than we’ve seen before but less than we’d probably like to see”.
According to Aged Care Insite, opposition Leader Anthony Albanese wants next week’s federal budget to ensure dementia management is “core business” for aged care, accusing the prime minister of “callously” neglecting the system. Mr Albanese will deliver a speech at the McKell Institute in Sydney on Thursday, addressing the “shameful” and “embarrassing” outcomes of the Royal Commission into Aged Care.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Aged Care Financing Authority’s recommendations for a $10 boost to the residential basic daily fee and an independent authority to set maximum provider fees is a step in the right direction, but it does not go far enough, an industry expert tells Australian Ageing Agenda.
According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the Maggie Beer Foundation is calling for a greater investment in food, chefs and cooks and training to improve the nutrition and dining experience in aged care. Cook, author and mentor Maggie Beer established the foundation in 2014 to improve food experiences for older Australians and particularly those living within aged care homes. The Government needs to commit more strongly to improving food services in aged care, she said.
A Bill for an Act to provide for and regulate access to voluntary assisted dying, to establish the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board, to make related amendments to other Acts, and for other purposes. This Bill was withdrawn on 5 May 2021 and will become law.
According to CCH, in this webinar we will discuss the key considerations when one member or both need to access care. The scenarios we will look at will include:
We will look at the key consideration of couples and care, including the impact on pension, impact on cash flow, the ability to access services. We will also discuss future consequences and estate planning.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
Issued by the Department of Health, this infographic outlines the 6 steps for safe prescribing antipsychotics and benzodiazepines in residential aged care.
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: