Aged care news highlights from the week ending 17 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.

COVID-19 News 

Message from the Ministers to Aged Care Providers

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, Ministers have written to aged care providers to let them know the Australian Government has accepted the recommendation of ATAGI and will open a 2023 COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to those eligible from Monday, 20 February 2023. Please work with your existing primary care providers as they are key to the delivery of on-site COVID-19 booster vaccinations as residents become eligible. You can read the full message from the Ministers.

ATAGI advice on 2023 COVID-19 vaccine booster

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Australian Government has accepted advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) that all adults who have not had a COVID-19 booster or a confirmed case in the past six months can now get another booster to give them additional protection against severe illness from COVID-19 regardless of the number of prior doses received. Providers are encouraged to start working with your existing primary care provider to plan for residents to receive this new booster as soon as they are eligible. For further information on the ATAGI decision, please visit the Department's website.

If you need COVID-19 vaccination support, please contact us at RACFVaccineClinics@health.gov.au and we will liaise with the relevant Primary Health Network to determine what assistance is available through primary care providers in your area.

Webinar – aged care COVID-19 update

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the first webinar for this year will be held on Thursday 23 February 2023, 1pm - 2pm (AEDT). Please register to attend.

Reminder: Reporting COVID-19 cases in your service

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, residential aged care providers are required to report ALL COVID-19 cases for residents, staff and visitors immediately to the Department of Health and Aged Care via the My Aged Care COVID-19 Support Portal. With the State and Territory network Case Management inboxes no longer being monitored for updates to COVID cases, closures or requests for Commonwealth support, the My Aged Care COVID-19 Support Portal replaces email notification of a positive case in your facility. You should also report COVID-19 positive cases to your Public Health Unit (PHU) immediately, if required. PHUs may require detailed individual-level information to assist aged care services.

Reminder: Changes to how services request Commonwealth COVID-19 Support

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, from 1 February 2023, requests for Commonwealth supports are now managed through a central inbox, with State and Territory Network Case Management inboxes no longer being monitored. Emails sent to a case management inbox will receive an automatic reply with the following information on the revised process. The new centralised contact point to request any of the following Commonwealth supports is AgedCareCOVIDEnquiries@health.gov.au. Your request will be referred to the relevant area for action.

Other News

New residential aged care quality indicators launching 1 April 2023

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, six new quality indicators for residential aged care will be introduced from 1 April 2023 as part of the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program). These include activities of daily living, incontinence care, hospitalisation, workforce, consumer experience, and quality of life. Residential providers must:

• start collecting new quality indicators in the April-June 2023 quarter
• submit quality indicator data in the 1-21 July 2023 reporting period.

Tailored resources and guidance materials are available on the department’s website to support this process. We’ll be sharing more information about the QI Program expansion shortly. Please email enquiries to QPSec@health.gov.au

Strengthened Quality Standards pilot program

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will soon be conducting a pilot program to test how the strengthened Standards will apply in practice. Providers can nominate a service for the pilot program. Providers will be selected with consideration given to service type, size, location and diversity of people receiving aged care. For further information including how to nominate a service, see the pilot program factsheet, or visit the Commission’s website.

Free business advice for eligible providers

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, eligible residential and home care providers can apply to receive free, independent and confidential advice to support aged care reforms and improve financial and business operations through the Business Advisory Service Find more information about the Business Advisory Service, including how to apply, on the department’s website.

Food and nutrition events hosted by the Maggie Beer Foundation

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Australian Government is partnering with the Maggie Beer Foundation to provide education and training for aged care cooks and chefs. Two free Masterclasses in the Illawarra region are now open for registration:

• Tuesday 14 March – ‘Creating An Appetite for Life’ for aged care chefs and cooks
• Wednesday 15 March – ‘Food for Thought’ for facility CEO’s and managers.

You can stay up to date about future opportunities by visiting the Maggie Beer Foundation website.

Webinar: Site audits in residential aged care

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will host a webinar ‘Site audits in residential aged care’, on Tuesday 21 February at 11.30am-12.30pm AEDT. Hear how the Commission monitors the quality of residential services to protect and improve safety, health, wellbeing and quality of life for people receiving Australian Government funded aged care. The webinar will cover the Commission’s assessment and monitoring of the Aged Care Quality Standards, including the assessment methodology and what assessors look for when undertaking assessments of performance. The webinar will also include discussion of the key risks observed by quality assessors when completing their assessments. Register to attend the webinar.

Infection prevention and control training grants available

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, residential aged care providers can apply for funding to support registered and enrolled nurses to complete specialist Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Leadership training. Support is available for up to 2 registered or enrolled nurses in each eligible residential aged care service, for costs relating to:

• fees for suitable IPC training courses
• wages for study leave
• wages for backfilling for nurses undertaking study.

This funding provides support for more nurses in residential aged care to access IPC leadership training. Highly skilled staff will ensure residential aged care services are well prepared to prevent or manage future infectious disease outbreaks including influenza and COVID-19. Find out more about this Grant Opportunity: Aged Care Infection Prevention and Control Training (GO5867) on the GrantConnect website.

Pain management omitted from RC final report

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the aged care royal commission failed to make any recommendations regarding pain management despite the subject being much discussed during its hours of hearings, researchers have found.

Extend pay offer to other workers, govt tells FWC

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the federal government has asked the Fair Work Commission to extend its pay rise offer to head chefs and cooks, and recreational activities officers.

Inclusion of some non-direct care workers in pay deal welcomed

According to Australian Ageing Agenda, the aged care provider peak body has welcomed the federal government’s submission to the Fair Work Commission in which it extended its 15 per cent pay rise offer to include head chefs, cooks and recreational activities officers.

Catholic Health Australia calls for visa sponsorship to address ongoing aged care workforce crisis

According to The Weekly Source, the Government should introduce visa sponsorships for the aged care sector to help plug major workforce shortages, according to the major Not For Profit organisation.

Australia’s largest not-for-profit provider makes another sale

According to Aged Care Insite, aged care provider Bolton Clarke Group has struck a deal to buy McKenzie Aged Care after a two-year negotiation. The sale marks Bolton Clarke's third merger in three consecutive years, where it acquired Allity in 2022 and Acacia Living Group in 2021. The aged care provider took the leading position in becoming Australia's largest not-for-profit provider last year.

Australian Unity announces review of its residential aged care operations

According to The Weekly Source, the mutual fund has announced it will review its residential aged care arrangements in light of the sector’s financial and regulatory challenges. In a statement, Australian Unity acknowledged that exiting the delivery of residential aged care was one of the options being considered.

Home Care News

Home Care Packages Program: Update to Provider Manual

According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program Operational Provider Manual has been updated in response to findings from the department’s recent Home Care Packages Assurance Review report and calls from providers for more detailed guidance. Please read the Provider Manual to ensure you are across the most up to date guidance. Read more information about the HCP Program on the department’s website.

New home care manual provides clearer guidance

According to Community Care Review, the updated home care packages program guidelines – which were released on Monday – give much more clarity to providers about what can and can’t be purchased, according to an industry expert.

Legislation

Guardianship and Management of Property Amendment Act 2022 [ACT] – Commenced 16 Feb 2023

This Act amends 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.

Advance Care Directives (Review) Amendment Bill 2022 (No. 34 of 2022) [SA] – 2^nd reading debate 9 Feb 2023

This bill seeks to amend the Advance Care Directives Act to improve the functioning of the advance care directive legislation in South Australia.