Aged care news highlights from the week ending 15 March 2020.

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 and Critical Success Solutions.

COVID-19 UPDATE: Third death at aged care home, Vic and ACT announce state of emergency

According to Aged Care Insite, a third resident at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge has fallen victim to the coronavirus, COVID-19, along with a Brisbane woman – taking the national death toll to five. This news comes as the Victorian and ACT governments declare a state of emergency. ACT chief minister Andrew Barr said the declaration of a public health emergency would give Canberra’s chief health officer more powers to enforce isolation and quarantines. “I want to be clear at this point… any directions under the public health act would be the last resort measure,” he said. “At this point, we will continue to focus on containing the spread of the virus.” Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said: “We are taking these steps, after agreement from the National Cabinet that includes the Prime Minister and all premiers and chief ministers, to contain the spread of coronavirus as much as we can. Make no mistake, the next few weeks and months will be tough for everyone, but we’re doing what is necessary to protect Victorians.”

Coronavirus (COVID–19) CDNA Guidelines

According to The Department of Health, the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia (CDNA) have released National Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Public Health Management of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Residential Care Facilities in Australia. The guidelines provides best practice information for the prevention and management of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreaks in aged care homes. Providers are encouraged to use these guidelines in conjunction with existing practices. Further information about Coronavirus (COVID-19) is available on the department’s website.

Worker safety a top concern as coronavirus cases rise, say peaks

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, access to personal protective equipment and maintaining an adequate number of staff are among key workforce concerns aged care providers raised at a recent forum. Approximately 70 aged care stakeholders including representatives of peak bodies, providers, workers, consumers and experts attended the Department of Health’s Aged Care COVID-19 Preparedness Forum on Friday. Aged and Community Services Australia CEO Patricia Sparrow said the forum provided an opportunity to share key issues and concerns surrounding COVID-19. For providers that includes making sure personal protective equipment is available to aged care services, she said. “One of the key elements of staff feeling confident and being able to come to work is if they have that protective equipment,” Ms Sparrow told AAA.

‘This is a time for pulling out all the stops’: WHO urges COVID-19 action, unions call for more support for frontline staff

According to Aged Care Insite, in the wake of a coronavirus outbreak at a Sydney aged care facility, with two staff confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, along with two residents – both of whom have died – health service unions are calling on the government to better support frontline workers to tackle the virus. Gerard Hayes, secretary of the NSW branch of the Health Services Union, said that staff anxiety was understandable and urged the government to increase funding for extra staff and better pay during the crisis.

Free aged care coronavirus training video

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, a new educational resource aims to help aged care providers and staff understand and respond to the coronavirus. The resource, COVID-19 and Aged Care, has been developed by aged care education provider Altura Learning for residential and home aged care and retirement living providers and staff and will be made freely available this week. It includes a video featuring microbiologist Margaret Jennings discussing COVID-19 plus guidance on hand hygiene and personal protective equipment.

US and UK aged care homes banning visits because of coronavirus – should you still visit your loved ones here?

According to The Donaldson Sisters, with the coronavirus spread worsening around the world this week – and older people being the most vulnerable to the illness – we know many of you will be worried about your loved ones here – particularly those living in aged care homes. In the United States and the UK, some aged care providers have asked families and friends to ‘minimise’ visits, stopped ‘non-essential visits’ or are limiting residents to one visitor a day to prevent coronavirus spreading into their homes. So, should you still visit your family members and friends in aged care here? It is sad to think that elderly Australians could be missing out on the social connection and support they receive from face-to-face visits. Currently, the Department of Health has no advice that relatives should stop visiting aged care homes. However, they are requesting visitors to take sensible precautions to keep our residents safe.

Providers’ legal obligations for managing infectious diseases

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, there are several legal obligations upon aged care, health and disability service providers in relation to infectious diseases. These include:

• compliance with regulatory requirements, including licensing and registration or approval requirements
• duty of care
• obligations under work, health and safety laws.

Rationing of aged care places needs to stop: royal commission lawyers

According to Aged Care Insite, the rationing of aged care funding and places should end as part of major reforms designed to make it easier for older Australians to get the support they need, royal commission lawyers say. Funding would reflect the actual cost of providing high quality and safe care under a fundamental overhaul of the system being considered by the aged care royal commission. Last week, the fourth Adelaide hearing of the commission took place and senior counsel assisting the commission Peter Gray said people should be entitled to care that is not only of high clinical quality but also designed to enhance their wellbeing and quality of life.

Which Australian aged care services weren't up to scratch in 2019?

According to Property Observer, in July 2019, the government introduced new aged care standards to “raise the bar” in an aged care system where some nursing home residents have experienced care that is neglectful, depersonalised, uncaring, unsafe and of poor quality. We took a close look at breaches of aged care standards from 2019 to see what effect the new aged care standards are having, and where aged care providers are falling short.

AUSkey retiring this month

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, if you are using the My Aged Care portal or taxation office’s business portal, it is time to set up myGovID. The Australian Taxation Office and 26 other government agencies will retire the decade old AUSkey and the Manage ABN Connections login credentials on 27 March. Anyone who uses the My Aged Care portal, the ATO’s Business Portal, or a range of other government online services needs to setup and use myGovID instead.

Palliative Care Prognostic Tools Survey

According to the Department of Health, many health professionals use prognostic (predictive) tools to identify when someone is at risk of dying within 12 months. The department is seeking information from all aged care providers to help understand the use of palliative care prognostic (predictive) tools in aged care services. The department encourages all aged care services to complete the survey. The survey closes at 5pm on Friday 17 April 2020.

Legislation

Nothing in the news this week.

Resources and Upcoming Events

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.

Medication Management in Home Care – Webinar - Tue., 31 March 2020, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm AEDT

Lorraine Poulos and associates are hosting al Medication Management Webinar will provide you with information and guidance about the principles for medication management in the community and will include Craig Harris from Webstercare who is an expert in Medication Management in Aged Care. We will provide an overview about what is contemporary practice in medication management in the home.

Calculating residential accommodation payments in a leap year

This year is a leap year, with 366 days instead of 365. The Department of Health has received queries from approved providers of residential care seeking advice on how to calculate a daily accommodation payment (DAP) in a leap year. The calculators specified in the Fees and Payments Principles 2014 (No. 2) (the Principles) refer to 365 days for working out:

• the DAP (or contribution) equivalent to a refundable accommodation deposit (RAD) (or contribution)
• the amount of interest on a RAD (or contribution) balance or accommodation bond balance.

Even though 2020 is a leap year, residential care providers should continue to use 365 days when calculating DAP amounts and the interest payable on refunds of lump sum deposits. But please be aware that daily payments and daily contributions are payable for 366 days in 2020.

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.

Quality Indicators (QIs) pilot – specific service types invited to participate

The Department of Health has engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to assist in the development and pilot to trial the new QIs relating to:

• medication management
• falls and fractures.

To ensure the pilot captures the views and experiences of residential aged care services nationally, the department would like to strongly encourage the following services to take part:

• Services operating in Queensland or remote areas
• Smaller services (less than 50 residential aged care places)
• Previous QI Program pilot participants
• Private (for profit) or State Government services.

Participation in the pilot is an opportunity for your service to trial and provide feedback on these indicators ahead of the implementation of the additional QIs from 1 July 2021. The pilot will commence in February 2020, please register your interest by 27 January 2020.

NATSIFAC Program Bi-Annual One-off Grant Opportunity – Second Approach now open

According to The Department of Health, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program 2019-2020 Bi-Annual One-off Grant Opportunity – Second Approach is a targeted, competitive application process. NATSIFAC Program service providers can apply for grant funding to address a clearly identified need that supports the delivery of aged care services. Service providers in remote and very remote Australia (geographical locations defined as Modified Monash Model 6 and 7) will be prioritised. The Grant Opportunity opened on Thursday 16 January 2020. All applications must be received by the department by 2:00pm, Thursday 12 March 2020.

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?

ITAC 2020 Transforming Independence Through Innovative Technology – 3,4 March 2020, Royal ICC Brisbane

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, exhibitors at this year’s conference include:

• Souped Up Catering software
• Telstra Health and
• Webstercare

5^th Quality in Aged Care Conference – 18-19 March 2020, Sydney

The format of this event has changed from an in-person, to an online conference. Quality in Aged Care LIVE is an innovative and interactive live stream of the full two day conference across both the Quality and Customer Experience streams.

Criterion Conferences is combining the two areas of Quality and Customer Experience into one streamed event. After a year of public scrutiny and negative publicity, and with the Royal Commission Final Report on the horizon, this is your chance to join with industry leaders and experts and unpack key issues with a vision for person-centred, best practice approaches.

Dementia Australian National Symposium – 24 March 2020, The Fullerton Hotel Sydney

According to Aged Care Insite, we are bringing an impressive line-up of local and international leaders to equip you to lead industry transformation. You will leave inspired, equipped and ready for change.

10^th Annual Australian Healthcare Week – 25-26 March 2020, Sydney

Australian Healthcare Week is the largest healthcare event in Australia, bringing together over 7,000 healthcare professionals under the one roof for two days of networking, learning and collaboration. Celebrating our 10th Birthday in 2020, Australian Healthcare Week is returning to the International Convention Centre in Sydney on the 25 - 26 March 2020 and is all about continuously improving our hospitals and workforce for the future. It’s free to attend.

Financial Transformation in Aged Care Conference – 29-30 April 2020, Sydney

Criterion Conferences is hosting a Financial Transformation in Aged Care Conference. Developed in partnership with COTA Australia and ACSA, this event is your opportunity to voice your concerns, strategise with leading providers, and actively engage in dialogue that will build a stronger, sustainable future for your organisation and the industry.

2018-19 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997

According to the Department of Health, the 2018-19 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997 is now available from the GEN Aged Care Data website. The report details the operation of Australia’s aged care system during the 2018–19 financial year and provides a snapshot of the system as a whole. It is delivered to Parliament each year by the Minister in accordance with section 63-2 of the Aged Care Act 1997.

2^nd Governance in Aged Care Conference – 20-21 May 2020, Doltone House Hyde Park Sydney

According to Criterion Conferences, the 2nd Governance in Aged Care conference has been developed in partnership with COTA Australia and ACSA to support you to effectively lead and govern your aged care service into the future. You will walk away with a deeper understanding of what good governance structures and culture looks like in practice, and how you could apply this to your own organisation.